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Did you realize that every day, approximately 140,000 people use their wireless phones to call 9-1-1 for help?
Wireless communications have proven their performance in extreme conditions. Motorists report everything from accidents to hazardous road conditions. Emergency relief workers are able to coordinate responses to disasters like earthquakes, floods or fires. Our Policeman, Firefighters & Paramedics rely on their wireless phones on a daily basis to get their jobs done. Our wireless phones have become a must-have in emergency communications & life-saving efforts.
With the advance of wireless technology, mobile wireless communications are also enhancing the way we are able to communicate in an emergency. Medical personnel are able to transmit potentially life-saving data while in route to a hospital or clinic, which can help them to begin treatment before the patient reached the hospital.
Over 90% of wireless users surveyed gave personal safety as one of the primary reasons for the purchase of a wireless phone.
A wireless communications facility, also known as a cell site or base station, is really a low-powered, miniature broadcast station, transmitting & receiving radio waves at a specified frequency range.
This facility "talks" with mobile handsets, which are really our mobile phones! Mobile phones also transmit & receive radio waves. When a wireless call is placed, the wireless phone transmits a low-powered radio signal through the air to a nearby cell site. The cell site routes the call to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The MSC has a computer which determines whether the incoming call is switched to a traditional landline telephone or to another wireless phone. If the call goes to another wireless phone, the MSC searches the wireless network to determine where the other user is and directs the call to the correct cell site. This cell site then transmits the wireless call to the intended wireless phone. This happens in a matter of seconds! As you move from one are to another with your wireless phone, the cell sites "hand off" the mobile user to the area covered by the adjoining cell site. This is all controlled by a computer, which tracks the movement of the phones within the system and transfers the calls from site to site so that you have the best possible signal during your call.
The goal of CellularOne of San Luis Obispo is to work hand-in-hand with our community when developing our wireless network. We listen intently to the concerns of our neighbors and try to aid our application process by practicing good community planning.
Our focus is to be responsible corporate citizens and be sure our facilities meet both local structural & zoning requirements. We also strive to develop sites which work within our network parameters and are the most aesthetically suitable to the community.
We build new sites for both coverage and capacity issues. As the demands for wireless communications increase and more users access the network, additional sites are added to handle the load.
There are often many wireless carriers who build cell sites in our community. Each carrier is assigned a separate frequency, much like a radio or television station which operates in their own unique frequency. They also vary in their design based upon the coverage & service each carrier may provide. Each wireless carrier has a legally mandated responsibility to the FCC to provide wireless service to their designated areas. CellularOne of San Luis Obispo is proud to bring this technology to our community for the benefit of us all.
Wireless phones are regulated by the federal government, which sets standards to ensure safety for wireless phone users. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 gave the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to establish rules which limit public exposure to radio signals from wireless communications facilities. The FCC exposure limits were taken from standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Council of Radiation Protection (NCRP). Many other government agencies also approved these standards & continue to monitor Wireless Facilities for the protection of public health and the environment. These include the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) & numerous others.
CellularOne of San Luis Obispo meets or exceeds every standard governing both our wireless phones and cell site installations. We are committed to the safety of both our customers and our community.
If you would like to know more about the Cellular Industry, here are some Internet resources for you to explore:
CTIA: Cellular Telephone Industry Association http://www.wow-com.com
PCIA: Personal Communications Industry Association http://www.pcia.com
FCC: Federal Communications Commission http://www.fcc.gov
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