Cellular networks play a crucial role in modern communication, facilitating connectivity and mobility for people around the world. In addition to voice and messaging services, they also enable internet access, location-based services, mobile applications, and more.
These networks are used by telecommunications operators to offer mobile phone services to users. Cellular networks are based on an architecture that divides the coverage area into cells, or smaller geographic zones, each of which is served by a base station. Each base station is connected to a core network, which in turn connects to the broader telecommunications infrastructure, including the internet and fixed-line telephone networks.
History of Cell Phones
The history of cell phones is marked by a series of technological advancements and key developments that have led to the evolution of the mobile networks and devices we know today.
- Early Ideas: The first ideas about wireless communications date back to the 19th century, with inventors such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi exploring the transmission of signals through the air. However, at this time, communications were primarily through wires, and the idea of mobile telephony was far from being realized.
- First Mobile Phone System: The first system that can be considered a precursor to modern mobile telephony was developed in 1946 in the United States by Bell Labs. Called the Mobile Telephone Service, it used radio technology to enable wireless communication in automobiles. However, its adoption was limited due to its high cost and lack of infrastructure.
- The Cellular Phone Era: The true cellular telephone revolution began in the 1970s. In 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola made the first call from a handheld cell phone. This event is considered the birth of the mobile phone as we know it today. In 1983, the Advanced Commercial Cellular System (AMPS) was launched in the United States, marking the beginning of large-scale cellular telephony.
- Second-generation (2G) networks: Throughout the 1990s, second-generation cellular networks were deployed using technologies such as TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). These systems enabled increased call capacity and the introduction of short message services (SMS).
- Third-generation (3G) networks: In the 2000s, third-generation networks, such as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and CDMA2000, were deployed to offer faster data transfer speeds, enabling internet access and advanced services on mobile devices.
- Fourth-generation (4G/LTE) networks: Beginning in the mid-2000s, 4G/LTE networks were deployed worldwide. These networks offered considerably faster data speeds than 3G technologies, driving the adoption of more advanced mobile applications and services, such as high-definition video streaming and online gaming.
- Fifth-generation (5G) networks: Starting in the 2010s, 5G networks began to be deployed in several countries. 5G technology offers even faster data speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity to connect a large number of devices, enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) and even more advanced applications.
- Sixth-generation (6G) networks: One of the goals of 6G is to further reduce connection latency and significantly increase transmission speeds. The 6G standard has not yet been defined, and the spectrum bands that will be used for data transmission are unknown. However, it is estimated that commercialization will occur in 2030 and that the first real use cases on this network could arrive between 2026 and 2028.
The history of cellular telephony is an example of how innovation and technology have transformed the way we communicate and connect in the modern era. Mobile telephony has rapidly evolved from its initial conception to become an essential part of people's daily lives around the world.
General Infrastructure of a Cellular Network
Cellular network infrastructure is the combination of equipment and physical elements that make up and enable the operation of the mobile telephone network. These elements work together to provide wireless communication services to mobile device users. The infrastructure of a cellular network is divided into several main components:
- Base Stations (BTS – Base Transceiver Station): These are towers or antennas located in various geographic locations and are responsible for sending and receiving wireless signals to mobile devices within their coverage area, generally referred to as a cell. Each base station can serve multiple cells.
- Base Station Controllers (BSC – Base Station Controller): These are the devices responsible for managing and controlling multiple base stations. They are responsible for coordinating radio resource allocation, handover (transfer from one cell to another while the user moves), and other related functions.
- Transport Network: This is the system that interconnects base stations, base station controllers, and other elements of the cellular network with the operator's core network. It can be composed of optical fiber, copper cables, or wireless links, depending on the network topology and capacity needs.
- Mobile Switching Center (MSC): This is the heart of the cellular network. It handles the switching and routing of calls and data between mobile devices and other fixed or mobile telephone networks.
- Home Location Register (HLR) and Visitor Location Register (VLR): These databases store information about mobile subscribers. The HLR contains primary user information, while the VLR contains temporary information about users roaming (outside their registered area).
- Authentication and Security Systems: These systems authenticate and encrypt communication between the mobile device and the cellular network to ensure the privacy and security of communications.
- Evolved Packet Core (EPC): This is an essential part of 4G and 5G networks, providing the architecture and protocols for routing and managing data packets, enabling services such as internet access and data applications on mobile devices. Additional Network Elements: In addition to the elements mentioned above, there are other components that may be present in a cellular network's infrastructure, such as signaling nodes, billing systems, content servers, among others.
Together, all of these components work to provide voice, messaging, and data services to mobile device users, enabling connectivity and mobility across a wide geographic coverage area.
Satellite Cellular Backhaul
Satellite Cellular Backhaul refers to the part of a cellular network's infrastructure that provides the data connection between the terrestrial cellular network and communications satellites. It is a technology used to extend cellular network coverage to remote or hard-to-reach areas where deploying terrestrial infrastructure is not feasible or cost-effective. When a base station in a traditional cellular network (such as 3G, 4G, or 5G) cannot directly connect to a terrestrial fiber optic network or microwave link due to remoteness or lack of infrastructure, satellite connectivity is used as a solution. Satellite Cellular Backhaul allows base stations to communicate with the mobile network core and, in turn, provides users with access to mobile communication services.
Satellite Cellular Backhaul works as follows:
- Base Station: The cellular network's base station, located in a remote area, is responsible for providing voice and data services to mobile devices within its local coverage.
- Satellite Link: The base station connects to a communications satellite via a two-way satellite link. Voice and data information is sent from the base station to the satellite and vice versa.
- Communication Satellite: The satellite acts as a "repeater" in space, receiving signals from the base station and retransmitting them to a ground station that has access to the telecommunications core network.
- Ground Station: On the ground, a ground station (also known as a gateway station) receives signals from the satellite and connects them to the telecommunications operator's core network via terrestrial links, such as fiber optics or microwave links.
- Core Network: Finally, the information is transmitted through the operator's core network, allowing users to access voice and data services, including internet browsing, phone calls, and messaging.
Hispasat Cellular Backhaul
Mobile operators can easily serve geographically remote or low-volume markets in a cost-effective, rapid, and high-quality manner to provide a seamless and efficient user experience.
This solution covers all players in the telecommunications value chain: MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators), MNEs, among others. Our Satellite Cellular Backhaul solution is tailored to cellular operators, understanding their needs and transforming them into benefits such as:
- Facilitating your service expansion process: Rapid and cost-efficient deployment. All technologies included: iDEN, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.
- Improving the operator's business case: No CAPEX investment. Implementation of regulatory sites with high ROI due to the low infrastructure investment cost.
- Improving the end-user experience: Low latencies – Comparable to other technologies.
- Understanding the customer's network quality parameters: Tuning the solution to the operator's KPIs. Specialized QoS.
