Nowadays, almost everyone has cell phones. It makes communication faster and easier. You can just dial a person’s number and voila you are talking to them. You can be anywhere and doing anything and yet you can confirm a meeting to business partner, instruct your secretary to do some paperwork or whisper sweet nothings to your loved ones. Cell phones take the need of physically being with the person to be able to connect to them.

But exactly how did these gadgets come about? Like any gadget, cell phones evolved over time, and each stage or era was most certainly interesting. It keeps up with the ongoing changes and demands of the people who use it. What started as big, bulky and ugly looking black boxes are icons of technological wonders, luxury and fashion.

The real story started with radio technology. Do you remember those cabs and police cars that had two-way radios? These were used to communicate and are linked on a central data base. There is also an angle that tells that cell phones rooted from those special radios that are patched through the phone line through an operator when you need to make a long distance phone call. But of course, the history of cell phone is far more interesting plain his and hellos so let’s just go back in time.

The first official cell phone was used by the Swedish police. This was in 1946. They did it by connecting a handheld phone to the telephone network. It was quite similar to the two way radio that has been mentioned in the previous paragraph. During that decade, cell phones were simply not practical. Imagine only making six phone calls and the battery was already dead. Phone chit-chats would certainly cease to exist if battery capacity was not improved. Also, the battery of the phone was well, a part of an even larger stuff – the car. Yes, old cell phones were connected to the car’s battery, using high voltage DC.

From this form of communication technology, the evolution of modern cellular phones took place. Hexagonal cells were created for cell phones by DH Ring. He was working for Bell Labs in 1947. Another engineer from the same company discovered cell towers which has the capability to not only transmit but to also receive the signals in three different directions. Before, cell phones only work in two directions and through an antenna. Thanks to modern chips, diodes, ICs and others, true electronics was developed, and thus the birth of a true cell phone.

Pre-Mobile Phones

The electronics used in cell phones that we see now were first developed in the 1960s. During this time, the technology of mobile phone was already available. The problem then was the user was limited to a certain area. These were called cell areas. Cell areas were base stations covering a small land area. If one goes beyond that point, he couldn’t get signal or receive transmitted messages anymore. There were instances when a call could still be made but the call would be cut once a set range has been reached. In short, mobile phone can’t really be that mobile, if you know what we mean.

This limitation in distance was resolved by another engineer at Bell Labs. Amos Edward Joel discovered and developed what he called the handoff system. This kind of technology enabled the call to be continued from one area to the next and the call would not be dropped. There were no set areas for the phone user anymore and callers can move from one distance to another.

At this point, the technology for cell phones has been developing but it was only in 1971 when there was a request for cellular service. AT&T submitted this to the FCC. It didn’t happen there and then. It was processed after more than a decade. The request for cellular service for the public occurred in 1982. With the FCC, frequencies of 824 to 894 MHZ Band to the AMPS or the Advanced Mobile Phone Services were made possible. Cell phones had analog service from 1982 to 1990. In 1990, AMPS turned digital and went online.

You can notice the evolution of the cell phone models as well. Undeniably, cellular phones had definitely come a long way since the installed phones in vehicles used by taxi cab drivers and policemen. Batteries were installed in the cell phones and there was no need for huge car batteries to power up a small device. Cell phones also started getting smaller and smaller. The earliest cell phones were so bulky because these needed large batteries. The earliest cell phone in Sweden weighed over 80 pounds. But of course, the versions were developed and mobile phones weighed within the 20 pound range. These were called portable then. But if these phones still had the same weight today, cell phone users would not regard these as portable devices at all. Just look at your mobile phone today and check how slim or light it is then picture yourself carrying the old cell phone used by policemen in starbucks or a date perhaps.

First Generation Cell phones

Motorola will always be remembered as the first company to introduce the first portable cell phone. This was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. The FCC approved it for public use after much deliberation and smashing of the device. Motorola has been developing the communication technology of cellular phones for decades. The Motorola DynaTAC took 15 years of development before it was made available in the market. During its time, it was considered to be a lightweight cell phone. It was about 28 ounces. Its dimensions were 13 x 1.75 x 3.5 inches. It was like a brick. It was developed by Dr. Martin Cooper who was of course working for Motorola. During that time, Motorola DynaTAC is the so-called high tech and advanced cell phone unit.

From 1983 to 1989, cell phones became popular and received demand from the public. The innovations in communication technology and the other networks include the ability of cell phones to handle calls from one area to another area way beyond the venue of the call. In the 1980s, a lot of cell phones were not made to be hand held. The phones were installed in the car. There was the term “car phone” and this had high demand in the market (this is of course before the “don’t use your cell phone while driving law” was passed). Aside from car phones, the earliest models of the first generation cell phones were shaped like tote bags. These were hooked up to the battery of the car through the DC outlet when the user needed to make cools. It was very convenient. Other models came in the form of briefcases. This was for large batteries that were needed just in case the user had to make calls.

Second Generation Cell phones

During the 90s, the cell phones that were used were called 26 or second generation. These work on systems like IS-95 or the CDMA, IS-136 or the TDMA and the GSM. The United States and Europe used digital cell phone providers and networks at that time. 2G cell phones were also used to switch the transmissions in the digital circuit. This was why it was easier to make calls using 26 cell phones than the first generation mobile phones. 26 cell phones had a faster network which provided signals. This decreased the chances of the calls being dropped. Call quality was also increased. Digital networks for 2G cell phones were online most of the time. These replaced the analog network frequencies. Eventually, analog frequencies became obsolete because there was no longer use for any these.
The 2G cell phones were no longer brick-sized. In fact, they were smaller. A lot of 2G cell phones ranged between 100 to 200 grams. The weight already included the batteries. These were hand-held and were portable indeed. The user didn’t have to lug a large battery with him. Not only were there advances in the cell phone technology, there were also developments in the battery technology. Along with the technological improvements of cell phones and batteries, computer chip technology was also advancing. Because of this, 2G cell phones were developed smaller and smaller. Because of the portability and the demand, more and more people were using cell phones.

Third Generation Cell phones

Nowadays, we are using third generation technology therefore the phones that are available and are used are called third generation cellphones. 3G came out a few years after 2G because of the continuing innovations in technology, services, and demand. However, the standards that are used in 3G cell phones are different from one model of the cell phone to the next. This depends on the network providers.

3G cell phones have requirements which cell phone providers and networks obey. These are to include 2 megabits of the data for indoor use and 284 kbits allotted for outdoor use. Now these cell phones could not only make calls. These are also used for SMS text. Communication is made easier because of this option. 3G phones can also let the user email and access the Internet. Because of technology, more and more models of 3G phones come out each year and there are more choices for the public. They get cell phones that fit their lifestyle and show their personality. They also get the cell phones that they could afford. Also, because of the technological advancements, 3G cell phones are also capable of streaming TV shows, radio shows, and using the WiFi.

The Future of Cellphones

Today’s features on cell phones are just the beginning. Expect more technological advances in the coming years. Because of the demand for these communication devices, providers of cell phones are always up on their toes to provide the public with what they want from their mobile phones.

If you think the gadgets you see in movies or TV is not possible think again. In Japan, there are cell phones that come in the form of wristwatches. It is a gadget that James Bond or James Bourne will most likely use in an installment. Surprisingly though, US is behind Asia and Europe when it comes to cell phone models. However, the United States is slowly catching up because of the constant need for communication wherever you go, plus the market they are losing each time a foreign company comes up with a newer and more advanced cell phone.
There are over 2.14 billion cell phone subscribers in world in 2005 and this number can double anytime. We are all technologically connected. With a cell phone, you can talk to anyone at any time. You can call them in the middle of the night in where they are when it is daytime in where you are. You can send text messages to another country. You can download TV shows from your PC then transfer these to your cell phones. You can be updated on today’s news just by checking the messages on your phone. What we have now is just the tip of the iceberg so we can expect surprises from technologist coming up with state of the art communication equipment known as cell phones. And if there’s one phrase to describe what the history of cell phone is, just think of it as the modern space race!