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We can instantly talk to anyone anywhere in India or in the world through the

telephone. To talk to someone in another city in India we use the STD (Subscribe
Trunk Dialling) facility. To talk to someone in another country the ISD (International

Subscriber Dialling) facility is used.

Cell phones: Mobile or cellular phones are phones that can be carried along with you.

They are very convenient. We can also send short messages through our mobile
phones, using the Short Messaging Service (SMS).

Smartphones: These days, smartphones are popular. Apart

from allowing you to make calls, smartphones can be used
to connect to the internet, send and receive e-mails, take

pictures and view them, and download and listen to music.

Mass Media

Till now we have talked about personal communication, or one person sending

messages to another. But often we also need to send messages to a large number
of people at the same time. This can be done through

newspapers, radio or television. These are called
mass media. They are means of mass communication,
that is communicating a message to a large number

of people.

Newspaper gives us news and information about

events from all over the world. A large number of
newspapers are published in India, in several Indian languages.

The radio gives us news and educational and entertainment
programmes. It is very useful for people who cannot read or

write. Radio signals can be received all over India. The FM
(frequency modulation) radio stations, like Radio Mirchi and

Radio City, have become very popular in our cities.

News, educational and entertainment programmes telecast on
television are watched by millions of people. Important sports

and cultural events can be shown ‘live’ (Pronounce ‘live’) on

television. This is possible because of satellites. Television
signals from one part of the world can be sent to another part
of the world through satellites.

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