Wireless FAQ  -> What is the meaning of the term 'Digital'?

Digital communication refers to any communication in a modulation format that relies on some type of data format for transmission. More specifically, digital communication refers to the process whereby the sending location digitizes the voice communication and then modulates it. At the receiver, the exact opposite is done.

Why use digital?

This is a question that many operators, new and current, have had to wrestle with. Digital radio technology is deployed in cellular and PCS or SMR systems primarily to increase the quality and capacity of the wireless system over its analog counterpart.

The use of digital technology is mean to take advantage of many features and techniques that are currently not obtainable for analog cellular communication. Several competing digital technologies are presently being used, and each has advantages and disadvantages in particular applications. The major benefits associated with using digital radio for a cellular or PCS environment are the following:

• Increased capacity
• Reduced capital infrastructure costs
• Reduced capital-per-subscriber cost
• Reduced cellular fraud
• Improved features
• Improvement customer experience
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