The Evolution of Mobile Communication | Gist

Although we tend to think of smartphones and BlackBerries as relatively modern inventions, the truth is that the technologies and networks these devices are based on were in place as early as the 1930s.? In fact, it was the March 1930 edition of Popular Science magazine that announced the first ?ship-to-shore? mobile communication service that allowed US citizens to place calls to passenger ships in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

These calls weren?t cheap ? charging rates that would be the equivalent of $92.50/minute in 2011 dollars ? but they did help to spark an interest in mobile communications that has persisted to this day.? To see how this technology has developed and changed, let?s look at a few other milestones in the evolution of mobile communication:

1940 ? The Handie-Talkie SCR536 Radio.? Developed by Motorola, this portable communication device played an important role in World War II, despite its comparably large size to today?s mobile devices.? Roughly the size of a man?s forearm, this battery-powered device is often considered to be the first of modern hand held, self-contained two-way radios.

1946-1964 ? Pre-Cellular Network Development.? As interest in mobile communications grew, several networks emerged, including the Push to Talk (PTT or manual), Mobile Telephone System (MTS), Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS), and Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMTS) systems.? These services were available commercially through the public switched telephone networks, though they can be differentiated from today?s cellular networks by the particular radio frequencies they operated on.

1973 ? The First Call is Made on a Mobile Phone.? Though both Motorola and Bell Labs raced to build the first truly portable phone, it was Martin Cooper ? a Motorola executive ? who made the first call using a prototype DynaTAC cellular phone on April 3^rd, 1973.

1977 ? AT&T Launches the First True Cellular Network.? Following its 1971 proposal to the FCC to create a commercial cellular service, AT&T launched the nation?s first true cellular network in Chicago in 1977.? Starting with 1,300 customers, cellular networks in this era faced major challenges due to limited coverage and the challenge of switching between cellular providers in different geographic areas.

Following this initial development, advances in cellular network technologies can be broken down by ?generation?:

1977-1990 ? First Generation (1G).? Cellular network development during the first generation is marked by the launch of several small networks (most notably, in the Scandinavian countries, UK, Canada, Mexico and the Washington DC/Boston area).? The biggest challenge during this period was rapidly expanding usage, which necessitated increased capacity and new technology to manage calls across difference ?cells? of coverage.

1991-2001 ? Second Generation (2G).? The second generation of cell phone usage is marked by the shift to digital transmission versus analog transmission (primarily using the GSM protocol), as well as the advent of new technologies that allowed mobile phones to be made as small as 100-200 grams (leading to the phasing out of ?block? phones).? Several important mobile communication milestones occurred during this period as well, including:

• 1992 ? The world?s first smartphone ? the IBM Simon ? is shown as a concept product.
• 1993 ? The first person-to-person SMS message is sent in Finland.
• 1998 ? Ring tones become the first content that can be downloaded via mobile device.
• 1999 ? NTT DoCoMo in Japan launches the first full internet service for mobile phones.
• Late 1990s ? Pre-paid service plans become available, making mobile communication an option for those whose credit ratings prevented them from participating in the former post-paid services.

2001-2009 ? Third Generation (3G). ?Following the launch of NTT DoCoMo?s mobile internet service, demand for mobile data grows exponentially, leading to a shift away from circuit switching to packet switching for data transmission (widely considered to be the defining feature between 2G and 3G networks).? This change, as well as increasing standards for data transmission rates, allowed streaming media content to be accessed for the first time, dramatically changing the way users interact with their mobile devices.

The early phones of this era represented a number of major achievements in terms of the functionality of mobile devices.

• 2002 ? The Danger Hiptop mobile phone becomes the first US device to offer functional web browsing, email access and instant messaging capabilities.
• 2002 ? RIM releases the Blackberry 5180 ? the first cellular phone with voice capabilities.
• 2002 ? The Sanyo SCP-5300 launches, becoming the first mobile phone with an integrated camera.
• 2004 ? The introduction of the thin, sleek Motorola RazR V3 forever changes the aesthetic standards of cellular phones.
• 2005 ? Motorola releases the Rokr ? the first mobile device to include Apple?s iTunes software (though slow transfer speeds seriously hindered its appeal).
• 2007 ? Apple releases its first iPhone, marking the introduction of multi-touch screen interfaces, as well as the first instances of third-party Web 2.0 applications ? now known as ?apps?.
• 2008 ? The Android Market launches in October 2008, providing free and paid apps for devices running the Android operating system.

2009-Present ? Fourth Generation (4G).? Though still in its infancy, the fourth generation of mobile communications technology is marked by the move from packet switching to all-IP transmissions, which has the potential to increase network speeds ten-fold over 3G networks.? Verizon, AT&T and US Cellular have begun to roll out devices that make use of these networks, though many consumers remain on 3G networks.

The result of all these changes is a mobile environment that the system?s predecessors in the 1930s could hardly have envisioned.? With an estimated 4.2 billion cellular phones in use today around the world, these devices are no longer just a means of communication from one person to another.? With the integration of cameras, audio players, apps and games, cell phones blend into all aspects of our lives ? a trend that?s sure to continue as advances in mobile communication allow these devices to add even more features in the future.

Image: Oracio Alvarado

Source: http://blog.gist.com/2012/03/06/the-evolution-of-mobile-communication/

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