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The Beginning
The first mobile phone calls were made in the 1940's, the phone itself weighing in 35kg and the calls from the phones were made from cars. -
The Next Step
The next important milestone was bringing the phones out of the cars and creating a hand held device, This was invented by Motorola in 1973. -
First generation 1G
The first generation network was introduced on a large scale, with the first network becoming operational in 1979 in Tokyo, followed by European and American networks in later years -
DynaTac Mobile Phone
In 1983, Motorola launched their DynaTac device into the market, it was the first commercial mobile phone and cost $4000. This device took roughly ten hours for a full charge and offered 30 minutes of talk time. These phones worked off the first generation (1G) Network -
Drop in prices, rise in demand
It wasn't until the 1990's that the demand increased for mobile phones as the prices dropped substantially and a number of the 1G networks were now located in many local areas. -
Second Generation network 2G
The second generation network was digital compared to the analogue network in 1G. 2G or GSM is the most widespread network in the world. GSM was made operational in 1991 but GSM compatible handsets did not become available until 1992. -
Third generation 3G
The 3G network focused on data communication, rather than voice and SMS communication. The 3G network only covers 11% of global distribution in comparison to 80% for 2G or GSM, however, in the UK alone, 99.1% of mobile phone users have access to the 3G network from at least one network provider. -
Today
From 35kg 'mobile' phones to being able to fit our devices in our back pockets, the evolution of the mobile phone and its supporting networks have shaped our society in a number of ways.