A telephone which uses a short-distance radio connection to connect the user to a base station and thence to the public telephone network. The user can make and receive calls anywhere within range of the base station.

handset and base are “connected” by a transmitter and receiver that provide cordless communication. Cordless phones are connected to regular phone lines. These phones come in a variety of types, differentiated by the frequencies that they use – 49 MHz (regular 1,2,10,& 25 channel), 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz. 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz are available in Analog, Digital Spread Spectrum (see Cordless Phone section for information on these formats)

A telephone that does not require a wired connection between the base of the phone and the handset (or receiver). Cordless phones may use digital or analog signals between the base and receiver of the telephone. Cordless telephones are designed to work directly from Central Office (CO) lines as opposed to wireless phones, which employ cell sites for operation.

a phone that has a base connected to a standard phone jack and an electrical wall outlet

A portable telephone that transmits signals over a small distance to a receiver that is wired into the telephone network. Cordless telephones are generally used only in or around one's home.

A cordless telephone or portable telephone is a telephone with a wireless handset which communicates via radio waves with a base station connected to a fixed telephone line (POTS) and can only be operated near (typically less than 100 meters) its base station, such as in and around the house. Unlike a standard telephone, a cordless telephone needs household mains electricity to power the base station. The cordless handset is powered by a battery which is recharged by the base station when the handset sits in its cradle.