Evolution of the Cell Phone

Evolution of the Cell Phone

Cellular telephone technology is something we often take for granted, as it has become such a pervasive component of everyday modern life. It has only been since the late 20th century that cellular phones as we know them have been commonplace throughout society. Where does this technological invention that has shaped the way we currently live have its roots?

The origins of the cellular phone can be traced back as far as 1947. At this time, researchers were investigating initial conceptual models of car phones. These researchers discovered that they could use small cells, or ranges of service area along with frequency reuse in order to make mobile phones a reality. In particular, Bell introduced the first conception of cellular communication in 1947 with technology for use in police cars. However, these researchers were ahead of their time, as the technology to put their ideas into practice did not exist at that time.

Basically, cellular phones are a type of two-way radio. at&T made a proposition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1947 to designate several radio-spectrum frequencies in order to promote the feasibility of widespread mobile telephones. The FCC did not allocate as many radio frequencies as at&T wanted.

The number of frequencies designated was small, allowing only twenty-three conversations on mobile phones in any on service area. In this respect, it may be concluded that the FCC may have delayed the availability of mobile phone service to the general public.

In 1968, the sentiment of the FCC shifted and they stated that if the technology could be developed in order to create effective mobile telephone service, they would step up and allocate more frequencies. at&T and Bell teamed up to develop a cellular technology system that consisted of several low-powered, small broadcast towers that would encompass a space, or 'cell', a few miles in radius. Together, all of these areas would cover a larger space. Individual towers would only require the use of a few of the total number of frequencies that were designated for the entire system, and as phones moved across a large area, calls in progress would be transferred along from one tower to another.

The birth of wireless technology took place only after the availability of inexpensive microprocessors and digital switching. The invention of the first modern, portable handset phone could be accredited to Dr. Martin Cooper, who is a former general manager in charge of the systems division at Motorola. In 1973, Dr. Cooper executed the first telephone on a portable handset. Although Bell had first conceptualized cellular telephone technology back in the 1940s, Motorola was the first corporation to transfer this initial technology into use of a portable device that could be used to make telephone calls outside of an automobile.

A prototype system for cellular phone service was created by at&T and Bell in 1977. In 1978, this new system was put through public trials with more than two-thousand trial customers in the Chicago-area. The first actual commercial cellular telephone service was offered in Japan in 1979. The United States lagged a little behind, as they were still testing cellular systems in the Washington area in 1981. Finally, in 1982 the FCC authorized the establishment of commercial cellular telephone service in the United States. In 1983, the first commercial analog cellular telephone service in America was available in Chicago, under the name Ameritech. The popularity of cellular phone service skyrocketed through the 1980s, and subscribers to cellular telephone service exceeded one million by 1987.

This fast and dramatic increase in demand for cellular telephone technology necessitated changes within the system so that more cellular service users could be accommodated. There were three ways in which services could be improved upon: 1) increase the allocation of frequencies; 2) split cells already in existence; 3) overall improvement of the technology. Since the FCC was unwilling to allocate any more bandwidth, and splitting cells would have been cost-prohibitive, the FCC announced in 1987 that alternative cellular technologies could be developed that would utilize the 800 MHz band, and cellular service companies began to research and develop new transmission technologies.