Your network’s mobile switching station (MSS) locates the MSS of the person you are calling, even if they use a different cell phone provider.

It sounds like you are describing the functionality of mobile networks, particularly how Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) manage calls across different providers. The Mobile Switching Station (MSS) is crucial in routing calls through the network.

When you initiate a call to someone using a different mobile network, your MSS first communicates with the Home Location Register (HLR) to find the location of the recipient's MSS. This involves several steps:

1. Call Initiation: When you dial a number, your phone sends the call setup request to your local MSS.

2. Location Query: The MSS checks its own records to see if the recipient is on the same network. If they're not, it queries the HLR of the recipient's network to find their current location.

3. Routing the Call: Once the location is obtained, your MSS establishes a connection to the recipient's MSS, allowing the call to be routed correctly.

4. Establishing Connection: After the call is routed to the recipient's MSS, it initiates a connection to the recipient's mobile device, completing the process.

This ability to locate and connect to different networks facilitates seamless communication across various mobile service providers. The scaling of technology allows this process to happen quickly, often in just a few seconds.