Android Magazine Issue 54 - 2015 UK.pdf

It’s all about frequency
Carriers all have their own bandwidth that they use
to carry signal. A carrier such as EE operates a
high frequency, resulting in stronger signal
outdoors as the wavelengths are bunched closer
together. However, once it passes through
materials such as brick, higher wavelengths get
absorbed by the brick and scattered, making
signal indoors much weaker. The reverse is true
for lower-frequency bandwidths, which struggle
outdoors, so this is something to consider when
choosing a network provider.
Hide-and-seek
Mobile phone masts are not popular with
communities, partly due to health concerns but
also due to the look of the masts. In order to
continue expanding their network coverage,
carriers are getting smarter. Mobile signal
antennae can now be found hiding inside
flagpoles, fake trees and even fake chimney pots.
arrangement with both private and public building
owners to add a mast to the top of their building.
things you didn’t
know about...
phone signal
10
Water is the enemy
Signal arrives at your phone in the form of
wavelengths and nothing disrupts them quite like
moving water. As the wave enters the water it will
get refracted in all different directions. It is
estimated that you’ll get no phone signal at all at a
might be academic anyway, as hearing a ringtone
or a person’s voice relies on vibrations that would
also struggle underwater as they would get
absorbed by the liquid and scattered.
Portable masts
For the majority of the year, farms and rural areas
don’t need a lot of mobile signal. However, during
festival season when thousands of bandwidthhungry
music lovers descend on them, there is a
much greater demand on the masts. To combat
this, carriers will bring temporary masts mounted
on vans to the site. Vodafone, for example, took
four such vans to last year’s Glastonbury to ensure
its users got the best possible signal strength.
Volume is key
Places where thousands of people regularly
gather, such as sports stadiums and theatres,
need to be able to cope with huge numbers of
phones trying to access the network all at the
same time. To cope with this, carriers will install
ceiling – in the building that adds many more
channels to the area. The signal won’t be
particularly strong or quick, but it will make it more
likely that you can actually get on your network.