GSM/CDMA
Some cellular-phone technologies (for example, Long-Term Evolution [LTE], which supports a 100-Mbps data rate to mobile devices and a 1-Gbps data rate for stationary devices) can be used to connect a mobile device (such as a smartphone) to the Internet. Other technologies for cellular phones include the older 2G EDGE, which provides slow data rates. EDGE stands for Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. 2G EDGE was improved upon with 3G, as well as the newer 4G, LTE, and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+). The term tethering is commonly used with today’s smartphones. Tethering enables a smartphone’s data connection to be used by another device, such as a laptop. Also, mobile hotspots are growing in popularity, because these devices connect to a cellphone company’s data network. It makes that data network available to nearby devices (typically, a maximum of five devices) via wireless networking technologies. This, for example, enables multiple passengers in a car to share a mobile hotspot and have Internet connectivity from their laptops when riding down the road. Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobiles (GSM) are the two major radio systems used in cellphones.