| The idea for cell phones has been around for a lot | | | | were the first cities in the world where you could |
| longer than the technology to provide them was. | | | | use a cell phone but their availability was |
| As soon as the first landlines came into use, | | | | extremely limited and the new phones were only |
| people had the idea of improving the convenience | | | | available to a select number of trial customers to |
| and flexibility of this new communication medium, | | | | begin with. For example, the 1979 trial venture in |
| and of bringing it to new areas such as cars. At | | | | Chicago distributed cell phones to just 2000 |
| first, cell phones were little more than two way | | | | customers. |
| portable radios, but as technology improved, the | | | | The idea caught on like wildfire. By 1987 there |
| concepts behind cell phones improved rapidly. | | | | were over one million cell phone users in the US |
| Bell labs and Motorola were both involved in a | | | | alone. It seemed as if everyone wanted a cell |
| dramatic race to see who could invent the first | | | | phone and the major companies involved had |
| viable cell phones. While Bell labs had installed | | | | really hit a home run. However, there were |
| innovative radio systems into police cars, these | | | | difficulties. For example, in the US, the FCC |
| devices were far too large for anyone to carry | | | | regulates and allocates radio bandwidth for |
| around and were thus impractical as a truly mobile | | | | different purposes. The radio spectrum is limited |
| telephone. However, in 1973, Martin Cooper, a | | | | and can become 'full', so it is necessary to control |
| scientist working for Motorola successfully made | | | | who gets use of different parts of it. The area |
| the first ever cell phone call using a portable | | | | they licensed for cell phones, at 800 MHz was |
| handset. The age of the cell phone was at last | | | | quickly crowded. However, instead of giving more, |
| born, and who did he call? None other than his | | | | they forced the cell phone companies to improve |
| rival at Bell Labs, Joel Engel, who had been racing | | | | technology and come up with more efficient |
| with him to create the invention. | | | | ways of utilising the bandwidth they had. By the |
| Within a couple of years, both Bell and AT&T had | | | | end of the 80's this had been achieved and the |
| come up with prototypes of their own and the | | | | cell phone age we know at present really got |
| first trial areas were set up. Chicago and Tokyo | | | | underway. And the rest as they say is history. |