How Do Mobile Phone Networks Work?

A cellular network is a patchwork of coverage areas, each with an antenna mast or small cell. Your phone exchanges radio signals with the nearest base station, which links by cable or microwave to the operator's core network and then to other phones or the internet. As you move, the network hands your connection from one cell to the next without dropping the call. Reusing the same frequencies in cells that are far apart lets millions of users share limited radio spectrum. Each generation, from 1G analogue to 5G, has added speed and capacity.