When the phone is turned on, it listens for a signal. If it receives a signal, it looks at the SID (being carried by the signal), and compares it with the one that is stored in the phone. Originally, in analog systems, the mobile would simply turn on the [[roaming]] indicator if the SID was not the single value stored in the phone.
However, withWith CDMA systems the [[Preferred Roaming List]] (PRL) is responsible for determining which areas a mobile can roam into. [[Base station]]s may also broadcast an [[List of mobile country codes|MCC]] and [[Mobile Network Code|MNC]] which can also be used by the PRL.
