Question 6
- Define the following terms in relation to mobile phones:
- Freezing
- Locking
- List two differences between locking and blocking.
Candidates performed poorly on this question as most of them could neither define freezing appropriately nor differentiate between locking and blocking.
Observation
The expected answers are:
(a) (i) Freezing: This is a condition in which a mobile phone keypad / touchscreen is not responding to any operation carried out on it as a result of corrupt memory / application, virus attack or insufficient memory.
(ii) Locking: This is a condition in which a mobile phone is protected against unauthorised user or another network provider.
(b) Differences between locking and blocking
Locking |
Blocking |
It is done on the phone |
It is done on the SIM card |
It can be unlocked with a computer or using codes / combination of keys |
It is unblocked by contacting service provider |
It is deliberately done by user or service provider |
It is as a result of user error |