Method and apparatus for supporting data transmission over analog and digital cellular telephone air interfaces

A cellular telephone network supporting data communications to and from a piece of data terminal equipment communicating using digital data signals, comprising:

• a cellular telephone connected to the data terminal equipment and including a data pump for converting between the digital data signals and analog data signals;
• a base station in radio frequency communication with the cellular telephone;
• an analog air interface over which the analog data signals are radio frequency transmitted between the cellular telephone and the base station;
• and
• an inter-working unit connected to the base station for interfacing the cellular telephone network to a public switched telephone network, said inter-working unit processing signals received from and transmitted to the base station according to a digital communication protocol.

A method for effectuating communication of data terminal equipment digital data signals over a cellular telephone network using a mobile station capable of radio frequency communication over an analog air interface, comprising the step of:

• receiving in the mobile station the digital data signal from the data terminal equipment;
• processing the digital data signals transmitted by the data terminal equipment according to a digital communications protocol;
• performing in the mobile station digital bit to analog waveform coding of the processed signals to output analog data signals;
• and
• transmitting by the mobile station of the analog data signals over the analog air interface of the cellular telephone network.