Though they have been largely outmoded by the now-omnipresent mobile
phone, there are still many great uses for a pager. Those in the medical
profession in particular make extensive use of pagers, as do a number of
other professionals. Today's pagers are both smaller and much more
technologically advanced than their older cousins, not to mention more
inexpensive.
Pagers work by transmitting signals over radio frequencies. The
earliest pagers were simply a small electronic device with an LED light
on it. If you had a page, then the light would let you know by blinking.
You then had to call the paging service to find out the full extent of
the message. Those days are long gone, however, and today's pagers can
perform a wide variety of functions.
Some of the best of today's pagers have the ability to send actual
text messages both to the pager and from it to a third party. This
"two-way paging" is essentially a form of the popular "text messaging"
function that is found on many of today's cell phones. This can be a
great way to transmit a brief message quickly and securely.
Pagers are absolutely essential gear for many members of the medical
field. They allow hospitals to transmit messages to a several people
simultaneously. Perhaps most importantly, pagers will work in some areas
where cell phones will not, i.e., in hospitals, and thus they become
vital for emergency messaging.