A mobile telephone or cellular telephone (commonly “mobile phone” or “cell phone”) is a long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communication. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites), which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network.

The basic concept of cellular phones began in 1947, when researchers looked at crude mobile (car) phones and realized that by using small cells (range of service area) with frequency reuse they could increase the traffic capacity of mobile phones substantially. However at that time, the technology to do so was nonexistent

By 1977, AT&T and Bell Labs had constructed a prototype cellular system. A year later, public trials of the new system were started in Chicago with over 2000 trial customers. In 1979, in a separate venture, the first commercial cellular telephone system began operation in Tokyo. In 1981, Motorola and American Radio telephone started a second U.S. cellular radio-telephone system test in the Washington/Baltimore area. By 1982, the slow-moving FCC finally authorized commercial cellular service for the USA. A year later, the first American commercial analog cellular service or AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service) was made available in Chicago by Ameritech.

Since the 1980s, the mobile phone has changed from a pricey item used by business people to a very popular communications device that is used by most of the general population. In actual fact, these days, mobile phones outnumber landline telephones in many countries

Using Mobile phones often have features beyond sending text messages and making voice calls, Internet, music, memo recording, personal organizer functions, e-mail, built-in cameras and camcorders, games, radio, Push-to-Talk (PTT), infrared and Bluetooth connectivity, call registers, video or download video for later viewing, and soon will also serve as a console of sorts to online games and other high quality games. The total value of mobile data services exceeds the value of paid services on the Internet, categories of mobile services are music, and picture downloads, entertainment.

Currently the world’s largest manufacturer of mobiles is Nokia, with a global device market share of approximately 40% in 2008. Other major mobile phone manufacturers (in order of market share) include Samsung (14%), Motorola (14%), Sony Ericsson (9%) and LG (7%). These manufacturers account for over 80% of all mobile phones sold and produce phones for sale in most countries.

Similar Posts:

• The Marvellous Invention of the Mobile Phone
• Mobile Phone: a Portable Electronic Device
• The History of Mobile Phones
• The History Of Cell Phones
• Picking The Right Cell Phone

Tags: Computers and Technology

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