Mobile Network Infographic

Build a Mobile Network Infographic

Assemble a generic mobile phone network. No app to install. It runs in your browser.

A demonstration piece: a generic illustration of how mobile networks work, not any particular manufacturer’s product.

Every call you make and every message you send travels through a chain of systems, from the phone in your hand to the powerful computers at the network’s core. Assemble them in order below and watch the whole network take shape.

Mobile Network Assembly Diagram Interactive diagram: mobile phone, radio spectrum, base station, backhaul network, switching systems, databases and control, and core network. CORE NETWORK STATUS: ACTIVE Core Network DB & Control Switching Backhaul Network Base Station 700 MHz 1.8 GHz 2.6 GHz Radio Spectrum 12:00 Mobile Network Mobile Phone

Getting Started

Getting started takes seconds. Here is all you need to know.

  1. Find the next component. In guided mode, the next part to add glows in the component list, and a dashed outline shows where it belongs on the diagram.
  2. Place it. On a computer, drag the highlighted card onto the diagram. On a touchscreen, tap the card to select it, then tap the diagram to drop it into place.
  3. Learn as you build. Once a component is placed, click or tap it on the diagram to open an information panel describing what it is and how it works.
  4. Finish and explore. Place all seven components to complete the network, then carry on exploring, or reset to build it again.

Going Full Screen

  • To enter: select the full screen button in the demo’s toolbar (the outward-pointing arrows icon). The demo expands to fill your whole screen for a distraction-free, app-like experience.
  • To exit: select the same button again (it now shows a cross), or press the Esc key on a keyboard.

On an iPhone: the demo fills the browser window rather than taking over the entire screen, because iOS reserves true full screen for video. Select the button again to return; the Esc key is not needed.

The Seven Components

The network is assembled from the inside out, starting with the core systems and finishing with the handset in your pocket. Here is each part, in the order you will place it.

  • 1Core Network. The central cluster of servers that routes every call and data session, and connects the network to the wider internet.
  • 2Databases and Control. The network’s memory: subscriber records, security keys, and a live view of where every device is.
  • 3Switching Systems. The crossroads that directs voice calls and data flows to their correct destinations.
  • 4Backhaul Network. The fibre and microwave links that carry traffic between the towers and the core.
  • 5Base Station. The cell tower that sends and receives radio signals across its coverage area.
  • 6Radio Spectrum. The licensed airwaves that carry signals wirelessly between the tower and your phone.
  • 7Mobile Phone. The handset in your pocket, fitted last, which completes the network.

Prefer a keyboard? Use Tab to move to the component list, the arrow keys to browse, and Enter to place the selected component.

Ready? Start building above.

Enjoy exploring. You can reset at any time from the toolbar to build the network again.

About this demonstration. This interactive infographic was created for information and entertainment. It presents a generic, simplified illustration of how a cellular mobile network is structured, and it does not depict, represent or endorse any particular manufacturer’s equipment, any network operator’s infrastructure, or any commercial product or service. Component names are generic industry terms. Real networks contain many more elements than the seven shown here, and the diagram is not to scale.