Mobile Phone History

Initially, 2-way radios called ‘mobile rigs’ were made use of in vehicles like ambulances, police cruisers, taxicabs, and like, but could not be termed as mobile phones as they were not in general connected to any of the telephone networks. Users were unable to dial numbers from mobile radios while in vehicles. A huge community of users of mobile radio, called mobileers, popularized a technology which would subsequently give ways to mobile phone.

Originally, the installation of mobile phones would take place in vehicles. However, later on, versions like ‘bag phones’ or so-called transportables came to be equipped with one of the ‘cigarette lighter plugs’ in order to simplify the carrying. Thus, use in the form of either portable 2-way radios or mobiles started.

In early 40s, a backpacked 2-way radio was developed by Motorola. It was known as the ‘Walkie-Talkie’. Later on, it got developed into a big hand-held 2-way radio for US military. The size of this Handie-Talkie which was powered by battery could be compared to size of forearm of a man.

Early Years

In the month of December, in 1947, W. Rae Young and Douglas H. Ring, Engineers of Bell Labs, projected ‘hexagonal cells’ for cell phones. Philip T. Porter, who also belonged to Bell Labs, projected the locations of cell towers to be corners of hexagons instead of center places and have the directional antennas which would transmit as well as receive in three directions. There was no existence of any technology then. Frequencies were also not allocated.

Cellular technology developed further with the expansion of electronics by Joel S. Engel and Richard H. Frenkiel of ‘Bell Labs’. Radio telephony came to be used in Europe between Hamburg and Berlin on 1st class passenger trains in 1926. Simultaneously, radio telephony came to be used on the passenger airplanes to ensure of security to air traffic.