Pager, also called a beeper, is a small, wearable device that enables the carrier to receive brief messages while on the move. The idea behind pagers originated with police radio communications in the 1920’s. During the 1970’s, individuals began carrying pagers for personal use. However, pagers have largely been replaced by cellular telephones with the ability to send text messages.
A pager is actually a small radio receiver that responds with a tone or vibration when activated by a radio signal. Each pager has its own identification number. A caller can dial the pager number from a telephone or from a computer attached to a modem. The resulting signals travel through the telephone network to a paging terminal. At the terminal, the signals are coded and sent to paging transmitters in the coverage area. The transmitters broadcast the message as a radio signal on a frequency dedicated to the paging service. A pager works only within the geographic area covered by the paging service.
The simplest pagers display the number of the caller. Once paged, a person can then return the call. Other pages can display text. Because they are inexpensive and can reliably summon or notify people, pagers are still sometimes used by health care professionals.
