What is a Pager? Features, Types and Benefits

Context: Recently a deadly incident took place in Lebanon where hundreds of pagers that were allegedly used by the members of militant group Hezbollah detonated simultaneously across the country. The explosions resulted in the deaths of around 9 people and left over 3,000 injured.

What is a Pager ?

A Pager is a Radio-operated electronic device used for transmitting brief text messages.

Features of Pager

• The device is usually designed to only receive messages, but in some cases can also be used to to send messages.
• When a pager beeps with a new message, the recipient needs to locate a nearby public or landline phone to respond to the message.
• Pagers were widely used in the pre-mobile era during the late 1990s.

Types of Pager

• Numeric: It can only display numbers. It is the simplest and easiest pager to use.
• Alphanumeric: It can display both numbers and alphabets.
• Use Case Pager: It is specially designed for quick alerts and contact information, particularly in professions that require immediate communication.

Benefits of Pager

• Provides wider Network coverage in remote areas also because it uses radio frequencies.
• Difficult to Trace – a key reason why Hezabollah was using it.
• Provides longer battery life and durability as compared to mobile phones.

How Pagers Can Explode?

• Overheating of lithium batteries could be a possible reason for the explosion.

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