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Cell Phones - Pagers and Cellphone Service

Two-way Pagers

by Helen Glenn Court

The two-way pagers at their simplest are alphanumeric signaling between two devices. You see the idea at work with cell phone answering systems, when you're given the option of paging or leaving a telephone number. This number is stored, in the recipient's voice mail or cell phone until they're able to view and respond. Early paging was one way. Systems have gotten more sophisticated over time, of course. Today's two-way pagers have the capacity to wait for a response. This ensures that the message has gotten through.

To some degree, the proliferation of cell phones has overshadowed pagers, of course. Why send a beep or a text message alert when you can speak directly? Voice mail serves the same purpose as pagers once did, to let the recipient know who was trying to get in contact, and leave a call-back number. On the other hand, the advantage of two-way pagers is that the system allows for automatic rollover to someone who is available. This is particularly useful, for example, for lab technicians or network managers.

Another way of looking at two-way paging is to think of walkie talkies. You might envision the clunky boxes used in World War II and Korea and Vietnam, or the nifty little wristwatch that the comic strip character Dick Tracy wore. They all serve the same purpose: to instantly alert someone in a remote location that someone is trying to reach them.

Shopping for Two-way Pagers

Online is the best way to research equipment and paging services. It is also the best way to find a good price as well. You might want to look for reviews at websites such as CNet.com, which also suggests price ranges for equipment. It is a good start to getting grounded in the basics of the technology. However, you're best advised to check out online brokers that specialize in such equipment before settling on a service or purchasing equipment.

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