A typical network configuration

Shown here is a typical configuration for a modern cellular telephone network. The wireless connection can be seen to be only a small part of a much larger network involving: a mobile switching centre to route calls from mobile to mobile or into the exchange; provision of private cable or microwave radio links for the interconnection of base-station sites to switching centres and between switching centres; and interconnection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for the transfer of calls between mobile and domestic telephones.