Introduction

Paging is a method of delivering a voice or data message, via a public communications system or radio signal, to a person whose exact whereabouts are typically unknown by the message sender. Users usually carry a small paging receiver that presents a numeric or alphanumeric message displayed on an electronic readout; alternatively, messages could be sent and received as voice messages or other data.

Paging has become popular among the consumer market. Previously reserved for on-call technicians, it is now used by some parents to call their children to dinner. The success of pagers is likely to continue because pagers normally: cost less than other devices; have longer battery life (several months); work well inside buildings; and can be extremely small, allowing easy portability.

There are four basic types of messaging services offered by paging systems: tone, numeric, text (alpha) and voice. These messaging services can be delivered by two types of paging systems: one way and two way paging. One way paging systems only allow the sending of messages from the system to the pager. Two way paging systems allow the confirmation and response of a message from the pager to the system as well.