This read-only enumeration reports the current state of the cellular data connection, distinguishing states such as connecting(3), dormant(4), and connected(5), in addition to unknown(1) and error(2). This is the primary object an admin polls to know at a glance whether the WAN link over cellular is actually passing data or sitting idle/dormant to save radio resources, versus actively failing. For example, seeing the status flip repeatedly between connecting(3) and error(2) rather than settling into connected(5) would tell an admin the modem is failing to establish a stable data session.