mobile data

Wireless phone internet

Mobile data is internet access delivered through cellular networks rather than Wi-Fi or wired connections.

Your phone uses mobile data when you're away from Wi-Fi: I turned off mobile data to avoid roaming charges.

The term also refers to the quantity consumed: I've used half my mobile data this month.

Related
  • LTEWireless broadband standard
  • 5GCurrent mobile network standard
  • cell towerWireless communication transmitter
  • SIM cardPhone's network identity chip
  • cellularComposed of small units

cellular networks · wireless communication · throttling · overage · cap · fair use policy · roaming · international roaming · network coverage · handover · unlimited · streaming · plan · reception · wireless · SIM · upload · carrier

Categories
Opposites
connectivity type

mobile dataWiFi

Radio-based network access

home internet · cable internet · DSL · Wi-Fi · broadband

connection medium

mobile datawired connection

ethernet · fiber optic · landline · fixed-line

connectivity state

mobile dataoffline

Not internet-connected

airplane mode · no signal · disconnected · off the grid · out of range

Family

data, mobile, mobility, automobile, mobilize, immobile, immobility, automobiles, mobilized

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Everyday, not technical · Rated G