Mobile networks are also called cellular networks. They consist of "cells", areas of land that are usually hexagonal, have at least one transceiver tower in their area, and use different radio frequencies. These cells connect to each other and to telephone exchanges. Cell towers connect to each other to transmit packets of signals (data, voice, and text messages) and ultimately deliver these signals to mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, which act as receivers.

Providers use each other's towers in many places, creating a complex web that offers subscribers the widest possible network coverage.

Many network subscribers simultaneously use the frequencies of mobile networks. Cell tower locations and mobile devices manipulate the frequencies so that they can use low-power transmitters to deliver their services with the least possible interference.

Mobile networks have evolved through a series of generations, each representing significant technological improvements over the previous generations. The first two generations of mobile networks introduced first analog voice (1G) and then digital voice (2G). 1G GPRS and 2G EDGE on GSM networks, as well as 2G CDMA networks, enabled data connections, although they were very slow.