History Of The Mobile Phone

The history of the mobile phone would best explain how cellular technology was able to give us portable handsets with amazing features.

History of the Mobile Phone: A Quick Glance

The history of the mobile phone began in 1947 when the basic concept of cellular phone technology came about. Mobile phones with direct dialing have existed in the 1950s. MTA (Mobile Telephone System A), developed by Ericsson and commercially released in Sweden in 1956, was the first fully automatic mobile phone system. It weighed 40 kilograms.

History of the Mobile Phone: Developing Cellular Technology

According to the history of the mobile phone, it was only in 1960s that the electronics for cellular technology was developed by Richard H. Frenkiel and Joel S. Engel of AT&T's Bell Labs. In 1973, Dr. Martin Cooper, a Motorola employee, placed a call to Joel Engel using the first US analog mobile phone.

History of the Mobile Phone: First Generation

One highlight in the history of the mobile phone took place in 1979 when the first commercial cellular telecoms was launched by NTT in Tokyo, Japan. Then in 1981, the NMT was launched in European countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Based on the history of the mobile phone, it was the first generation (1G) mobile technology that allowed the use of mobile phones internationally.

In 1G, analog transmission was used in mobile systems. The first design of mobile phones was intended for permanent installation in vehicles. These units were converted into more portable phones as big as briefcases. Soon enough, truly portable and hand-held phones came in the market.

History of the Mobile Phone: Second Generation

Following the history of the mobile phone, the 1990s witnessed the birth of the second generation (2G) mobile phone systems. The 2G phone systems have digital circuit switch transmission. They have generally higher frequencies compared with the 1G mobile phone systems. The 2Gs also are smaller in sizes than the 1G phones. It also paved the way for a new communication tool - the SMS or text messaging.

History of the Mobile Phone: Third Generation

Shortly after the 2G, mobile phone manufacturers introduced the third generation (3G) mobile phones. The first commercial 3G network was launched in Japan in 2001. Indeed, it was a remarkable event in the history of the mobile phone.

The 3G is another breakthrough in the history of the mobile phone. The 3G mobile systems support higher and faster data transmission rates compared with the previous mobile phone generations. They also have features and applications such as TV streaming, multimedia, video calls, navigational maps and web browsing.

History of the Mobile Phone: Ongoing Developments

Mobile phone manufacturers of today are exploring the possibility of the fourth generation (4G) mobile phone systems, which would use more advanced technology.