People have been communicating with each other throughout history. It could be said that the first mobile communication was when one caveman threw a rock at another's head to get his attention! However, the history of mobile phones is considerably shorter and of much more recent origin, starting with the invention of the first telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.
Since then, the major milestones in telephony are the first transatlantic phone call (via radio) in 1927, the first satellite call made in 1960, the first cellular mobile phones developed in 1978 and the introduction of the GSM standard for mobile phones in the UK in 1992.
The increase in GSM mobile phone users since 1992 has been nothing short of phenomenal. The graph below shows the yearly total (in millions) of worldwide mobile phone users from 1993 (1 million) until 1999 (200 million):
There are several facilities available for mobile phones, over and above the simple use of making a telephone call. These services include:
FAX - a mobile phone can be configured to accept FAX messages, which can then be forwarded on to a FAX machine for printing.
DATA - it is possible to connect a mobile phone to a laptop, using a special cable, and thereby enable the laptop to connect to the Internet from anywhere. The disadvantage with current systems is that the data rate is only 9,600 baud (to understand this term it helps to know that a standard modem will connect at 33,600 baud or 56,000 baud), thus making Internet surfing very slow.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) - the latest mobile phones have the ability to connect
directly to the Internet, allowing access to WAP-enabled web sites and e-mail facilities.
In April 2000 a series of telecommunication licenses were auctioned by the UK government. These will allow a new generation of mobile telephony services to be developed, which are collectively known as 3G services, and are likely to be available by the end of 2002. The additional services that these handsets could provide include:
Continuous high speed Internet access.
E-mail facilities direct to the handset without dialling-in.
Video downloads and playback.
Audio downloads and playback.
Surveillance - using the phone to access a camera located in the home to check the security of the house from anywhere in the world.
The capability for Videophone calls (see image below).
(Photo courtesy of Nokia. Downloaded from the Nokia web site on 30th August 2001)
Image capture - capture images for forwarding to other 3G phone users.
All of these are possible and in the words of one of the owners of a 3G license:
"3G is a convergence of mobile, telephony and information systems which promises to change people's lives by enabling them to access information when, where and how they want." (Extracted from the Hutchison3G web site on 30th August 2001)
For further information on Mobile Phones, please follow the link below.
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