DROPPED CALL

When cellular phones are moving, such as in a car, the cellular phone may be transmitting and receiving to different cell sites along its journey.  A cellular phone will transmit and receive to the nearest base station cell site with of course the nearest and strongest signal.  However, as the cell phones moves geographically as in a car, the nearest cell site of course may change and a new one may now be closer.  When that happen cellular electronics will switch the handling of that cellular phone call from one cell site to the one that is now nearest.  This change is called a "hand off" and of course electronics and software has the goal to ensure that customers do not even notice it.  For the average cellular phone by car, the average call used to be 3.4 handoffs per phone call - meaning that the cellular phone used 3 or 4 different cell sites.  If when the time comes for the cellular phone call to be handed off to the new cell site, the transition has a problem and the call is lost, then that is referred to as a "dropped call".  Of course, cellular services try to ensure that there are few or no dropped calls since they wish to keep customers happy.