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Cellular Phones: Digital vs. Analog

The Debate: Digital or Analog Cellular Phones

    In the beginning, there wasn't any debate on which technology to use because there was only analog cellular phones available. Analog technology generally refers to electronic transmission accomplished by adding signals of varying frequency or amplitude to carrier waves of a given frequency of alternating electromagnetic current. Broadcast and phone transmission have conventionally used analog technology.

    Analog is usually represented as a series of sine waves.

   The term "analog" originated because the modulation of the carrier wave is analogous to the fluctuations of the voice itself. For more information on analog technologies, click here to go to another page on this website.

    Digital phones work entirely differently than analog phones. Where analog is ever-changing and continuous, digital is discontinuous and changes in a more step-by-step fashion. A digital wave is comprised of a limited number of data points to encode information. In digital networks, voice is converted to a series of discrete samples that represent the original analog signal to be transmitted. Digital networks are fast, replacing analog ones as they offer improved sound quality, secure transmission and can handle data directly as well as voice.

    Digital information is made of binary information: 1's and 0's--on or off. All digital data can be broken down to whether a switch is up or down and this is where the step analogy comes in. The more steps you have in a given distance (or timeframe) the closer it is to analog--or continuous change.

    For more information on digital cellular phones and networks, click here to go to a page on this site.

The Bottom Line

    Which to choose: digital or analog cellular phones. Here are some things to consider when making your selection.

  Analog

     Some argue that roaming may be more difficult using a digital phone. Since today there is no single accepted industry standard in digital technology and the technologies are sometimes incompatible, roaming--or using another wireless operator's network while traveling--may be difficult. Analog has better coverage than digital, and greater service availability. Plus, the initial cost for analog is usually cheaper than for digital because digital phones generally cost more.

   Digital

    Most believe that digital cellular phones have superior sound quality. Depending on the digital phone and the sample rate of the phone, a digital phone can produce clearer and louder sound than analog. Service is always an issue and analog providers are working hard to provide the best service. Digital cellular phones definitely offer more security for the customer because digital information can be encrypted. And, digital phones are not just for voice. There is a great of added features and benefits coming soon with next-generation services.

    Overall, if you are in an area with high digital support, it is a good choice. If you live in a rural area where there are not many towers, then analog may be the best choice.

http://www.cellphonecarriers.com/compare-digital-analog.html

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