Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, The

Cordless Telephony

A cordless phone, as opposed to a mobile, works only with one specific base station and uses unlicensed spectrum. The base station is known as a fixed point because it is connected to the regular fixed phone network. Transmission power is very low, for a range of 100 m or less.

Cordless phones are usually sold for home use in sets of a single phone and base station that can cost under $50. More sophisticated systems are available for businesses, which sell several handsets that all work with the same base station. The base station often incorporates a miniature PBX (Private Branch Exchange), so that users can dial each other privately as well as make external calls.

Because cordless phones compete heavily on price, many use ...