THE RISE AND RISE OF MOBILE PHONES

After a relatively slow start, the use of mobile phones has grown at a staggering rate in the last few years. The “yuppie” image so prevalent in the UK and other European countries is giving way to the idea, long held in Scandinavia, that the mobile phone is a necessary part of everyday life. Customers fall into three broad groups: business executives, sales staff, and self-employed people such as builders and electricians. These are people who travel extensively and for whom communication means keeping in touch, getting business and providing service.

The growth in popularity has been due partly to the fact that in most countries mobile communications have always been open to competition. The European Union will open up competition in fixed network telephony; but in mobile communications, most countries already have more than one network operator. In most cases the national operator has set up its own mobile network, but must compete against at least one other licensed operator. The number of national and international competitors is increasing steadily, even though some operators have tried and failed to set up a viable service.

One result of the increase in competition is that prices of systems and of terminal equipment and call charges are dropping rapidly as operators fight for the newly emerging market. Predictions are difficult to make, but analysts believe that, given the present trends, the number of mobile connections in Europe, which was some 4 million in 1991, will have reached 80 million by the year 2010. The world market is at present approximately four times greater than the European. Penetration varies enormously, from six subscribers per 100 people in the USA, to under one per 100 in China.

Growth has also brought its problems as well as its successes. Although competition has led to a large number of types of equipment and services, which gives the customer a wide range of choice, the variety is sometimes so large that the would-be mobile user is left confused. Another problem which will probably grow in complexity is the allocation and use of frequencies. Technologies like CDMA which make a more efficient use of frequencies will be attractive, particularly in the developed countries. Difficult technical and commercial decisions will have to be taken in order to provide space for all potential customers.

Note: The Yuppies lap up the latest technology which helps them to simplify their lives. They think that all new telephone services are of great interest and they use their credit-cards to buy a variety of goods and services. They are convinced that they will be able to learn how to use the latest technology and are addicts of tele-shopping. The Yuppie group is mainly made up of men between the ages of 25 and 59, most of whom are executives or members of the liberal professions. They generally have university degrees, high salaries and know eleven telephone numbers off by heart.

V. Say if the following statements are true or false.

VI. Choose the best answer: a, b or c to complete the sentences.

VII. Divide the text into logical parts and find the topical sentences in each part.

VIII. Give a short summary of the text.

Part C

I. Study the definitions of the following words and phrases:

II. Read the following text and entitle it.

Telecommunications technology has for some time been like a number of islands. A telephone line, a cordless phone, a pager are all separate products, bought separately to do different things, usually in just one country – the country where they were bought. But as the technology develops and expands, it is increasingly shaped by the requirements of the user. If the user wants to be able to make a call, send a fax, receive data, even watch video in any country in the world, and using her own, portable equipment, then the job of technology is to make this possible. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is working on Universal Public Telephony (UPT); the ITU is working on the Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunications System (FPLMTS). Their aim is to make the technologies converge, by bringing about the compatibility and interoperability of all the different types of network, and so making them accessible to users everywhere.

This idea of one network – or a number of interoperating networks – through which a small handset will give access worldwide to a whole range of services – is often referred to as PCN: Personal Communications Network.

Already it is easier for the international customer to keep constantly in touch:

- Within the fixed network, Intelligent Networks make it possible for a customer to be followed round the world simply by punching in a personal access code.

- The digitalization of the networks brings them closer together. Short-range Micro-Cellular Networks (MCNs) such as Mercury 1-to-1 in the UK; digital cordless PBXs; the simple radio technology of Telepoint – these all have mobility as their key aim, so their design has common characteristics.

- Digital technology can also offer more than just telephony: data, fax, even video are more and more easily transmitted. And services such as voice boxes and call forwarding are easily provided.

- The GSM network is rapidly expanding to cover other parts of the globe. It will be possible to integrate GSM with satellite telecommunication systems, thus making it available in any part of the world.

- The user equipment is increasingly ‘user-friendly’. To be this, it should fulfil several conditions: it should be light, small and inexpensive, and at the same time it should have long standby and talking time, and have access to all possible services. The ‘pocket phone’ which fits easily into the pocket is a good example at the moment; the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card available in GSM is the ideal ‘tool’ – a small plastic card which can fit into a standard phone and access the network, and charge the cost to the cardholder’s account. A similar development is the Personal Digital Assistant – a watch-like digital communicator which until now has been limited to science fiction and spy stories. The time has not yet come when a traveller can communicate from anywhere to anywhere by means of a small piece of equipment in her pocket. But it is fast approaching.

III. Find in the text:

IV. Give the main points of the text in 5-6 sentences.

UNIT 4

Part A