Is it Possible to Send a Text Message to a Landline Telephone

As counterintuitive as it may sound, it is possible for certain cellular phone customers to send a text message to a landline. The recipient of such a text message does not need a modified telephone, however. The text message is automatically converted to an automated voice message through "text to voice" technology. All the recipient must do is listen to the message and respond with a recorded voice message of his or her own.

When a cellular phone customer sends a text message to a landline, he or she must first compose the message using a Short Message Service (SMS) format and then input the ten digit phone number of the recipient's landline phone. The cellular phone service provider will attempt to send the text message to a landline at least three times. If the recipient answers the phone, he or she should hear the automated voice message. If the landline phone is not answered, the message may go to voice mail or an answering machine.

Depending on the cellular provider, customers who have subscribed to the SMS service can send a text message to a landline anywhere in the United States, its territories, and possibly Canada. The text to voice program does not require the recipient to install any special equipment or subscribe to a cellular phone service. The sender usually receives a confirmation message stating that the text message has been successfully delivered to the landline.

While it is possible to send a text message to a landline, it is not generally possible to send a text message from a landline to a cellular phone. The recipient of a text message can sometimes choose from a menu of possible responses and send a voice message, but this voice message will not be converted to text on the cellular phone side.

Standard texting and phone call rates apply when sending a text message to a landline phone, and the phone number must be a recognized landline, not another cellular phone.

What Is Airplane Mode on a Cell Phone

Airplane mode is a setting on many cellphones which disables their wireless communication abilities, theoretically making them approved for use on aircraft. While in airplane mode, a phone cannot send or receive phone calls, text messages, picture messages, or video messages, and the user may not browse the Internet on the phone or use Bluetooth® devices with it. However, functions like music players, games, calendars, and so forth can continue to be used.

The idea behind airplane mode is that many people wish to continue using their cell phones on planes to do things like listen to music and check appointments, but the use of cell phones on planes is banned due to the fact that their signals could cause interference. Airplane mode allows cell phone users to circumvent the ban, ensuring that their phones are safe to use on aircraft while the plane is in flight; electronic devices must be turned off for takeoff and landing.

There are two reasons why people are not allowed to use cell phones on aircraft, although the rules against cell phone usage may change at some point. The first reason is that the radio signals emitted by phones could interfere with the communications and guidance systems on the aircraft, which could potentially be very dangerous. In addition, cell phone networks on the ground cannot cope with cell phones being used on planes, because planes travel very fast and at high altitude, so a phone on a plane could confuse a network on the ground.

If a phone offers an airplane mode setting, the user's manual usually clearly shows how to turn airplane mode off and on, and typically it can also be found through the phone's menu. When airplane mode is activated, a small icon often shows up on the screen of the phone to indicate this. In some cases, the user may have to use a password to activate and turn off airplane mode, to ensure that it is not accidentally switched on and off.

Although airplane mode technically makes a phone legal to use on an aircraft, some airlines request that passengers turn their cellphones off anyway, or a flight attendant who is not familiar with the technology may ask you to turn your phone off. Sometimes, explaining that you are using airplane mode is sufficient, and the flight attendant will allow you to leave your phone on, but in other cases, you may be asked to turn it off. Although this may seem unreasonable, it is better to comply; in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, airlines are entitled to remove passengers from flights if they fail to comply with requests the airline terms “reasonable.”

What is HSDPA

HSDPA, short for High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, is a new protocol for mobile telephone data transmission. It is known as a 3.5G (G stands for generation) technology. Essentially, the standard will provide download speeds on a mobile phone equivalent to an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line in a home, removing any limitations placed on the use of your phone by a slow connection. It is an evolution and improvement on W-CDMA, or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, a 3G protocol. 

HSDPA improves the data transfer rate by a factor of at least five over W-CDMA. HSDPA can achieve theoretical data transmission speeds of 8-10 Mbps (megabits per second). Though any data can be transmitted, applications with high data demands such as video and streaming music are the focus of HSDPA.

HSDPA improves on W-CDMA by using different techniques for modulation and coding. It creates a new channel within W-CDMA called HS-DSCH, or high-speed downlink shared channel. That channel performs differently than other channels and allows for faster downlink speeds. It is important to note that the channel is only used for downlink. That means that data is sent from the source to the phone. It isn't possible to send data from the phone to a source using HSDPA. The channel is shared between all users which lets the radio signals to be used most effectively for the fastest downloads.

The widespread availability of HSDPA may take a while to be realized, or it may never be achieved. Most countries did not have a widespread 3G network in place as of the end of 2005. Many mobile telecommunications providers are working quickly to deploy 3G networks which can be upgraded to 3.5G when the market demand exists. Other providers tested HSDPA through 2005 and are rolling out the service in mid to late 2006. Early deployments of the service will be at speeds much lower than the theoretically possible rates. Early service will be at 1.8 Mbps, with upgrades to 3.6Mbps as devices are made available that can handle that increased speed.

The long-term acceptance and success of HSDPA is unclear, because it is not the only alternative for high speed data transmission. Standards like CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and WiMax are other potential high speed standards. Since HSDPA is an extension of W-CDMA, it is unlikely to succeed in locations where W-CDMA has not been deployed. Therefore, the eventual success of HSDPA as a 3.5G standard will first depend upon the success of W-CDMA as a 3G standard.