History of Cell Phones

Just as it was a great moment in the history of the telephone when Alexander Graham Bell’s first spoke the words “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you,” it was a great moment in the history of cell phones when the first portable handset was invented by Dr. Martin Cooper. Dr. Cooper called his rival at Bell Labs in April of 1973 on a portable cell phone and the history of cell phones began. It was particularly ironic that he made the call to Bell Labs since they had originally thought of the idea of cell phones as far back as 1947.

Although Dr. Cooper made the first call in 1973, cell phones would not become a mainstay of life until much later. In 1977, AT&T and Bell Labs got together to produce the first cellular system. This system started in Chicago and consisted of 2000 trial customers. A similar system was also being developed in Tokyo. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized cellular service in the United States. Once cell phones became available to the public, the demand grew and grew. By 1987, there were over one million subscribers.

Part of the reason there was such a lapse in the history of cell phones between the 40s, when the technology was being envisioned and the 80s, when it finally became available to the public was the FCC. They control the frequency availability that cell phones need to operate. Their regulations and lack of response to the need and demand delayed the technology development.

It seems hard to remember a time when we didn’t have cell phones. Most places you go now, restaurants, stores, driving down the street, you see someone talking on a cell phone as if it has been around for 100 years. But the history of cell phones is less than 60 years old and the actual implementation of their use, less than 30 years old.