Information that is reduced into digital pieces or ‘packets' of bytes, so it can travel more efficiently across radio airwaves and wireless networks.

is the basis for packet-switched networks, which are under development in the United States as a faster, more reliable method of transferring wireless data than a circuit-switched network. Packet-switched networks eliminate the need to dial in to send or receive information because they are "always on," transferring data without the need to dial. The packets that hold data depend on the size of the data involved; "chunks" are broken down into an efficient size for routing. Each of these packets has a separate number and carries the Internet address for which it is destined.

A method for the transmission of information by which the information is transmitted as packets each containing a certain amount of the information to be transmitted and the address of the receiver.