Cell Phone Terms

Translating cell phone into English

Buying a cell phone can sometimes feel like learning a second language. There are cell phone plans and cell phone companies to compare, and once that's through, there are all the cell phone terms you need to know in order to make the best use of your cell phone. Here's a handy Cell Phone - English dictionary to help ease the cell phone culture shock.

Cell phone

You may think you know this one already, but there's a reason they're called cell phones and not mobile phones or satellite phones. Cell phones are so named because they use a cellular network. A cellular network is made up of a series of cell sites or base stations linked to the regular telephone network. Cell phones communicate with those cell sites via radio waves. The word cell in this case refers specifically to the area covered by each base station's antenna.

Cell phone plan

Cell phone companies have to cover the cost of all those radio waves and base stations, and they do so using cell phone plans. The typical cell phone plan charges a flat monthly fee for a set total of monthly minutes. If you go over that number, you pay a per minute fee. Most cell phone plans subtract from your monthly minutes during peak hours (often 5AM or 6AM to 9PM Monday to Friday), but permit free calls during non-peak hours (typically weekends and 9PM to 5AM weekdays).

Unfortunately, if you don't use all your cell phone plan minutes by month's end, you usually don't get to keep them for future use. Also, typical cell phone companies require you to sign a two-year cell phone service contract.

For those reasons, many users are opting for prepaid cell phone plans. Prepaid cell phones permit you to pay only for the minutes you use, and when you run out, you buy more.

Cell phone companies

Cell phone reviews consistently rate Verizon cell phones as the best. Verizon cell phones are praised for customer satisfaction, network coverage, and call quality. Motorola cell phones, LG cell phones, and Nokia cell phones are also well regarded. Many cell phone companies will offer free cell phones as an incentive to use their service.

Cell phone accessories

Cell phone accessories are typically items such as cell phone covers, cell phone belt clips, cell phone antenna boosters, cell phone car chargers, cell phone batteries, and cell phone handsfree headsets.

Cell phone batteries

Most companies have moved to using rechargeable lithium-ion cell phone batteries rather than nickel-based cell phone batteries. Lithium-ion cell phone batteries are lighter, last longer, and withstand erratic charging cycles better than nickel-based cell phone batteries.

Cell phone directory

There is as yet no cell phone directory for cell phone numbers, but all of the major wireless phone providers except Verizon plan to have a cell phone directory compiled in 2006. This cell phone directory would be available only to 411 operators conditional on customer consent. Telemarketers could not use the cell phone directory because they are prohibited from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. A bill has also been introduced in Congress that would require operators to connect calls directly rather than give out cell phone numbers.

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