The Cellular Connection: A Guide to Cellular Telephones [Paperback]

Robert A. Steuernagel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471316520 | ISBN-13: 978-0471316527 | Publication Date: October 22, 1999 | Edition: 4

How to choose cellular service wisely and become an adept cellular user

Keeping in touch via cellular is increasingly vital in today's fast--paced world. The technology now boasts over 50 million subscribers, and that figure is expected to double in the next five years. Whether you are a regular user or an industry professional, The Cellular Connection, Fourth Edition helps you keep current in the field. Written in a nontechnical language by an industry insider, this new edition of a highly successful book (over a quarter million copies sold!) demystifies both service and technology, explains the shift from mobiles to portables, and updates all information on cellular phone equipment. Numerous illustrations, photographs, and a special Cellular Buyer's Checklist accompany this unique guide. The Cellular Connection, Fourth Edition answers all your cellular telephony questions, including:
* How the cellular system works
* The purposes and advantages of various features
* How to choose, install, and operate your phone
* How to make sense of your phone bill
* What to do when traveling outside your home area
* How to tell when you're roaming
* What's in the future, including digital cellular and PCS

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

How to choose cellular service wisely and become an adept cellular user

Keeping in touch via cellular is increasingly vital in today’s fast—paced world. The technology now boasts over 50 million subscribers, and that figure is expected to double in the next five years. Whether you are a regular user or an industry professional, The Cellular Connection, Fourth Edition helps you keep current in the field. Written in a nontechnical language by an industry insider, this new edition of a highly successful book (over a quarter million copies sold!) demystifies both service and technology, explains the shift from mobiles to portables, and updates all information on cellular phone equipment. Numerous illustrations, photographs, and a special Cellular Buyer’s Checklist accompany this unique guide. The Cellular Connection, Fourth Edition answers all your cellular telephony questions, including:

• How the cellular system works
• The purposes and advantages of various features
• How to choose, install, and operate your phone
• How to make sense of your phone bill
• What to do when traveling outside your home area
• How to tell when you’re roaming
• What’s in the future, including digital cellular and PCS

About the Author

ROBERT A. STEUERNAGEL is Vice President for The Strategis Group, Inc. A cellular industry veteran with over twenty years experience, he has served as a senior level telecommunications executive for such companies as Authentix Network, Inc., Bell Atlantic International Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch, and AT&T s Advanced Mobile Phone Service. His book Wireless Marketing is also available from Wiley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience; 4 edition (October 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471316520
• ISBN-13: 978-0471316527
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,457,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to understand your cell phone better? Read this book!, May 16, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cellular Connection: A Guide to Cellular Telephones (Paperback)

Let's face it: the average cellular user is only going to be interested in those cool ring tones, how long the battery is going to last, why calls are sometimes dropped while in the middle of a conversation, etc. Anything faintly technical is not going to be too much of a bother, unless if it is of immediate concern to the telephony experience. If you are one of these people (especially if you are turned off by technical stuff) and you desire to understand your cell phone better, congrats! you have found the right book.

Anything you can possibly want to know as a cellular user can be found in here, in a lucid presentation not devoid of humour. Unlike other books of the same genre, you are not overwhelmed by esoteric technical terms. Following a concise US-centric introduction to the cellular system and how the industry is structured, the guts of what's important to you, the user, are dissected: choosing service providers and phones, billing and pricing plans, features and accesories, cell phone operation, roaming. The most helpful sections, in my opinion, are those which explain how calls are charged, and clarify various items on the bill; though cellular technology is highly accessible and relatively low priced nowadays it is still good to know what you are paying for. The section on cell phone etiquette, though short, should not be missed.

Much of the content is generic, so do not expect to find details on specific carriers or cell phone models here. Despite this being the 4th edition, some of the information is rather dated, especially the sections on cellular technology and future developments. On the other hand, it is a relief to actually read a book by an "industry insider" which does not try to read the palm of the industry beyond what is readily surmisable. For those who are more interested in the technological aspect, take note that there are a few mistakes e.g. (pg. 18) a frequency reuse factor of 7 does not mean that the next co-channel cell site is "no closer than 7 cells away".

The heading on the back cover reads, "How to choose cellular service wisely and become an adept cellular user." This book will not make you wise, but it will certainly make you better informed, and hopefully more adept.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a guide to cellular telephones......, June 13, 2000

By 

Tom Mchugh (Mission Viejo, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cellular Connection: A Guide to Cellular Telephones (Paperback)

This book; "The Cellular Connection" - "A guide to Cellular Telephones" contains much more. It was written for interested students and professionals who wish to know most of the important information about wireless telephony from the introduction of this amazing communications medium in the early 1980s through the present.

This is the fourth edition of a valuable text, describing the first phases of a communications revolution that changed the modern world as we watched in awe. Now this revolution is at the threshold of again changing the way we think, act and communicate.

Within the next few years literally everyone in the developed world; man, woman and child will have and use wireless service and be instantly linked to everyone else, from virtually anywhere on earth. Personal and business communication and actions will change by orders of magnitude as cellular/wireless encompasses, absorbs and dominates the internet.

The cellular handset will replace many of the familiar tools we use every day. Wireline telephones, FAX machines, laptop computers, portable TVs, satellite location systems and yes, even credit cards will become redundant and obsolete as wireless services and handsets incorporate all these features.

"The Cellular Connection" has sold over 250,000 copies, and has helped thousands of professionals in cellular business to become knowledgeable of the dynamics of the industry. I strongly recommend this book for anyone contemplating a career in wireless telephony as well as to current professionals in marketing, sales, engineering, finance, customer service and training.