The first mobile phones appeared in the early 1900s, but they were wired to stationary telephones. These wired telephones were used mostly in offices and businesses. By the mid-1950s, mobile phones began to appear in homes, and they have become ubiquitous in the past few decades.
These phones have made our lives easier in so many ways. They allow us to stay connected to our friends and family even when we’re not together. They’ve made it easier to research information, find directions, and communicate with others. There are many other great uses for phones.
The First Mobile Phones
The first mobile phones were essentially a telephone headset with a built-in radio. The person could make calls by putting the headset on his or her ear and speaking into a microphone that was built into the phone. The person would have to be close enough to the base unit of the phone for the radio signals to reach their mobile device.
These headsets mostly looked like large walkie-talkies. Some of the early models even came with a handle, so the user could carry them around.
Users could also transmit and receive text messages, but not pictures or video. In these early phones, the call quality was terrible compared to today’s phones.
In 1973, Motorola patented a mobile phone design called the DynaTAC. The phone weighed 1.5 pounds and could make calls up to a distance of 1,500 feet (457 meters). The DynaTAC was very bulky and was mainly used by police officers because it could make calls in noisy environments like a police car.
Other mobile phones that appeared around this time include the Motorola Ding Dong and the Motorola Dyna-Soar.
In 1976, Motorola released the first portable mobile phone that was much smaller than the DynaTAC. It had a display that could show the time and caller ID.
This phone used analog signals just like a landline phone, but digital signals began to appear in 1979. Digital signals can transmit pictures and other types of media, so these phones had a much better user experience.
The First Cellular Network
The first cellular network was created in Norway in 1981. It used analog signals just like landline phones, but the first cellular network was digital. Analog signals can be interrupted easily and don’t provide a very strong signal.
The digital cellular network was used by the first digital mobile phones. The digital cellular network used frequencies in the 800 Megahertz (MHz) to 1.9 GHz range.
The first digital cellular network was created by NMT and operated by Telenor in Norway. This network also used analog signals, but it was used in a small number of countries before the digital network started to become popular.
The first digital cellular network was called GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobiles. It was created by researchers at the European Union.
The First Mobile Internet Service
The first mobile broadband service was called experimental Internet service in Japan in 1995. The service provided 2 Mbit download speed and 512 Kbit upload speed.
The first commercialized mobile Internet service was called Smart services in Japan in 1997. It provided 1.5 Mbit download speed for a monthly fee of about $50.
Different Types of Mobile Networks
There are many types of mobile networks, but we’ll go over the most common ones here.
- Mobile Data Network - This is the network that connects your device to the Internet. Your device can use this network to download and upload data.
- EDGE Network - EDGE is the network that is used in Europe. It has a maximum speed of 384 Kbit, which is enough for basic Web browsing.
- GPRS Network - This network is used in most parts of the world. It has a maximum speed of 56 Kbit.
- HSPA+ Network - This network has a maximum speed of 21 Mbit. It’s used in North America.
- LTE Network - This is the fastest mobile network. The maximum speed of an LTE network is about 600 Mbit.
What are the Future Developments for Mobile Phones?
We have come a long way since the first mobile phones. The market for mobile phones was very small in the early days, but now it’s one of the most popular forms of communication.
The next big development for mobile phones will be 5G. 5G is a new type of network that uses many times more bandwidth than today’s mobile networks.
5G will provide much faster speeds, lower prices, and higher speeds for mobile Internet.
There are also other exciting developments for smartphones like foldable phones, optical cameras, and more.
Summary
The first mobile phones were essentially a telephone headset with a built-in radio. The person could make calls by putting the headset on his or her ear and speaking into a microphone that was built into the phone.
The first mobile phones were bulky and didn’t have a good user experience. They looked like large walkie-talkies.