Timeline of mobile telephony

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This is a timeline of mobile telephony, attempting to describe the evolution of mobile phone networks, as well as crucial mobile device releases in relation to novel functionality.

Big picture

Time period Development summary
1900s Radio transmission is achieved by creating bursts of sparks generated by electrical voltages.[1]
1930s The idea of a cell phone begins.[2]
1940s Communication by mobile radios becomes more common. Most government agencies, as well as the rich people, own mobile radios.[3] AT&T and Bell Labs introduce cellular technology. However, mobile phones would not develop widespread use at the time.[4] US Signal Corps communicate via radio in field during World War 2.[5]
1960s Researchers develop the technology systems (like frequency reuse and handoff) that would lead to modern cellular networks.[4] In the United States, Bell Labs prepares a detailed plan for implementing the cellular system.[6] Soviet engineer Leonid Kupriyanovich develops very small mobile phones.
1970s 1G is developed by AT&T and Bell Labs early in the decade.[7] Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT) in Japan and Ericsson in Sweden begin testing cellular technology and start designing equipment that would facilitate commercial service provision in their respective home markets.[8] The first mobile call is made.[9]
1980s 1G is deployed.[7][6] Mobile phone technology starts to be released commercially.[10] Adding text messaging functionality to mobile devices begins.
1990s Mobile telephony revolutionizes telecommunications during the decade.[11] 2G Second–generation wireless telephone technology becomes available, [12] bringing the first digital systems to be deployed.[10][7] Mobile phone operators start offering prepay mobile phones. European and American networks start to split apart and compete against one another.[4]
2000s Apple introduces the iPhone. Android operating system launches. 3G technology starts deployment.[7]
2010s A massive development in smartphone technology takes place. 4G technology starts deployment.[7] Mobile telephony keeps extending into developing and least developed countries. 5G technology is still in development phase as no standard for its deployment has been concreted.[13]

Full timeline

Year Event type Details
1876 (March 10) Antecedent Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, makes the first phone call.[9] United States
1894 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi transmits signals over the distance of 2 kms.[14]
1906 Antecedent Canadian-born inventor Reginald Fessenden manages to broadcast music through radio.[14] United States
1908 Antecedent A man claims to have invented a wireless telephone. Being considered so crazy for this time, he is accused of fraud. The charges are later dropped.[4]
1921 Antecedent The Detroit Police Department introduce mobile radios in their police cars, giving rise to the car–to–car radios. However, the system doesn't work very well at the time.[3][15] United States
1924 Network launch Wireless phones are tested on trains running between Berlin and Hamburg.[16] Germany
1926 The first successful mobile telephony service is offered to first class passengers in trains of the Deutsche Reichsbahn on the route between Berlin and Hamburg.[17] Germany
1940 Technology Second World War: Hand-held radio receivers become widely available, opening up communications in battlefields around the world.[4]
1945 Network launch The first service created just for mobile phones launches in Saint Louis, but the service doesn't work well and it does not last.[3][15] United States
1946 (June) Network launch American company Bell Labs begins to offer mobile telephone services on vehicles in Saint Louis. A few weeks later, AT&T matches Bell Labs, offering its Mobile Telephone Service (0G equivalent), at the time a wide range of mostly incompatible mobile telephone services with limited coverage areas and a small number of available channels.[4]
1946 Network launch Interconnection of mobile transmitters and receivers with the Public switched telephone network (PSTN) begins in the United States, with the introduction of Mobile Telephone Service (MTS) by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.[18] United States
1947 Technology Engineers at Bell Labs seek ways to implement cell service in vehicles, theorizing that hexagonal cells would work best for them. The first car phone service is attempted. A car phone service opens between Boston and New York, but this service soon fails.[3] The same year, base stations for mobile phones come into being when engineers from Bell Labs develop the first stations.[4] United States
1947 Bell Labs is the first company to propose a cellular radio telephone network.[1][6] United States
1948 Service coverage The Mobile Telephone Service, initially only available in Saint Louis, becomes now available in about 100 towns in the United States. Using this service, an estimated 5,000 customers place approximately 30,000 calls each week. Each call has to be manually connected by an operator. The system also functions similar to a Walkie-Talkie: a button must be pushed down talk, then released to listen. The Mobile Telephone Service requires about 36kg of equipment in the vehicle. Expensive, it costs approximately US$ 15 per month (same buying power as $154.76 in 2017) plus an additional $0.30 to $0.40 per local call. [4] United States
1952 Network launch A-Netz network is launched as a Mobile Radio Network in West Germany.[4][19] West Germany
1956 Service launch The first ever partly automatic car phone system, Mobile System A (MTA), is introduced in Sweden. [20][21][3] Sweden
1960 Network launch Ericsson Company releases the first fully automated mobile telephone. Introduced in Sweden, the system, known in Swedish as Mobiltelefonisystem A (MTA), allows for automated connection from a rotary handset (that’s the circular dialing knob to me and you) mounted within a car, but requires an operator to forward calls.[14][22][22] Sweden
1963 Network launch Altai mobile telephone system (системы "Алтай") is introduced as a pre-cellular 0G radiotelephone service in the Soviet Union.[23] Soviet Union
1957–1961 Product development Soviet engineer Leonid Kupriyanovich develops a number of mobile phones that look surprisingly similar to modern mobile devices. One of these devices weighs just 70 grams and can fit into the palm of the hand.[4]
1959 Network launch The Post Office Radiophone Service is launched in Manchester. The system requires callers to connect through an operator. However, that operator could connect users to any subscriber across all of Great Britain.[4] United Kingdom
1962 AT&T develops a prototype for the first generation cellular mobile communications technology.[24] United States
1962 Network launch Swedish Mobiltelefonisystem A (MTA) is replaced by Mobiltelefonisystem B (MTB), which uses transistorized mobile sets. This system would last until 1983.[22] Sweden
1964 Pre-cellular VHF/UHF radio system launch Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS) is introduced by AT&T as a replacement to Mobile Telephone Service (MTS) and improved on most MTS systems by offering direct-dial rather than connections through a live operator.[18]
1968 System standard development Bell Labs starts developing the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) standard.[6] United States
1969 Penn Central Railroad equips commuter trains along the New York-Washington route with special pay phones that allow passengers to place telephone calls while the train is moving.[25] United States
1969 Organization The Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) Group is established in Scandinavia and Finland with the purpose to develop a mobile phone system that, unlike the systems being introduced in the United States, focuses on accessibility.[16] Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland
1969 Program launch Engineers from the Nordic countries meet and set up the first mobile phone system international standard, the Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT).[26] Scandinavia
1971 New term The term cell comes into play when AT&T proposes splitting phone service into different areas across the cities. These areas are called cells.[3][15] United States
1971 Network launch Autoradiopuhelin (ARP) network is launched in Finland. It is one of the first successful public commercial mobile phone networks.[24] Finland
1972 Network launch B-Netz mobile radio network is launched in West Germany.[4] Germany
1973 Technology 10 years before a cell phone was first released onto the market, Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, makes the first analog mobile phone call using a heavy prototype model. The communication is carried out between Cooper and Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.[27][4][9] United States
1973 Motorola becomes the first company to mass produce the the first handheld mobile phone.[17]
1979 (December) Network launch 1G, the first generation of wireless telephone technology, is launched in Japan by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT). It becomes the world's first mobile phone network to be launched.[9] Initially deployed in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, within five years, the NTT network expand to cover the whole population of Japan and becomes the first nationwide 1G network.[18][12][4][8] Japan
1981–1986 Network launch The Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system opens in Sweden and Norway. NMT is the first mobile phone network to feature international roaming. The system is introduced in Denmark and Finland in 1982, and in Iceland in 1986.[28][9][18][24] Scandinavia, Finland
1981 Network launch The Saudi mobile phone network becomes operational.[6] Saudi Arabia
1982 Policy The European standard for protorypes is established.[26]
1982 Ericsson constructs the first European cellular systems for use by service providers in Scandinavia.[8]
1983 Network launch The Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) is officially introduced in North America.[29][24][30] The system would further expand into Canada in 1985, later in Mexico, Colombia, Korea, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and finally all Latin American countries.[31]
1983 (March 6) Product release The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X becomes the first mobile for sale in the United States. It costs US$ 4000 (equivalent to $9,894.75 in 2017). 1G network launches in the country, with Chicago-based Ameritech using the Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone.[9][18][4] American engineer Martin Cooper is credited with developing the device.[5] United States
1983 Network launch The Total Access Communication System (TACS) (1G) is released in the United Kingdom as a variant of the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS).[31][18][6] United Kingdom
1983 Network launch AMR radiotelephone network (Automatizovaný Městský Radiotelefon in Czech language) enters full mode as the very first analog mobile radio telephone in Czechoslovakia.[32] Czechoslovakia
1984 Network launch Airborne cellular systems: The North American terrestrial system (NATS) is introduced in the United States by GTE Corporation.[18] United States
1985 Coverage The Nordic Mobile Telephone grows to 110,000 subscribers in Scandinavia and Finland, 63,300 in Norway alone, which makes it the world's largest mobile network at the time.[33]
1985 The first mobile call in the United Kingdom is made.[9] United Kingdom
1985 Network launch The Radio Telephone Network C (C-Netz), is introduced in Germany as a first generation analog cellular phone system.[34] Germany
1985 Study A study group of the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) begins to consider specifications for Future Public Land Mobile Telephone Systems (FPLMTS). These specifications would eventually become the basis for a set of “third-generation” (3G) cellular standards, known collectively as IMT-2000.[18]
1987 "The Technical specifications for the GSM standard are approved. Based on digital technology, it focused on interoperability across national boundaries and consequent different frequency bands, call quality and low costs."[16]
1988 Program launch A group of government-owned public telephone bodies within the European Community announce the creation of a digital Global System for Mobile Communications (originally Groupe Spécial Mobile), referred to as GSM, the first such system that would permit any cellular user in one European country to operate in another European country with the same equipment. GSM would soon become ubiquitous throughout the continent.[18]
1989 Product Motorola MicroTAC 9800X is released. It becomes the first phone to feature a flip–down, and also the smallest and lightest phone available at the time.[35][9]
1990 Technology The old AMPS networks are replaced by Digital AMPS (D-AMPS).[4]
1990 Expansion There are 12.5 millions subscriptions to mobile telephony worldwide.[36]
1991 Technology Second-generation (2G) cellular telecom networks are commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Oyj).[37] The first wireless Internet access becomes available as part of this generation.[12]. Developed to serve voice communication, 2G is first digital transmission system in mobile communication in history.[7] Also, the first GSM call is made by the Finnish prime minister in the country.[6] Finland
1992 Product release "Nokia 1011 The world’s first mass produced phone that used the new GSM digital standard, the Nokia 1011 was ‘available in any colour, as long as it’s black’. Specs included a monochrome LCD screen, extendable antenna and a memory capable of storing 99 phone numbers."[16]
1992 (December 3) Technology Software architect Neil Papworth sends the first text message saying "Merry Christmas" to Richard Jarvis, a director at Vodafone.[38][9][15] United Kingdom
1992 Network launch The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) adopts a terrestrial Aeronautical Public Correspondence (APC) system known as the terrestrial flight telephone system (TFTS).[18]
1992 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Andorra, Denmark, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.[39] Andorra, Denmark, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom
1993 Technology The first SMS text message is sent in Finland.[4] Finland
1993 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Australia, Austria, Greece. Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, United States and Nicaragua.[39] Australia, Austria, Greece. Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, United States, Nicaragua
1994 (August 16) Product release The IBM Simon is released, featuring a touchscreen and is the first phone to feature apps. It costs US$ 899.[9] The IBM Simon is considered by many to be the world’s first smartphone.[4] United States
1994 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Belgium, the Channel Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Cameroon, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Madagascar, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.[39] Belgium, the Channel Islands, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Cameroon, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Madagascar, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
1995 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Bahrain, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, French Polynesia, Lebanon, Macao, New Caledonia, Puerto Rico, Seychelles, Spain, Bulgaria, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Georgia, Gibraltar, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzistan, Lao, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Myanmar, Namibia, Reunion, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda and Uzbekistan.[39] Bahrain, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, French Polynesia, Lebanon, Macao, New Caledonia, Puerto Rico, Seychelles, Spain, Bulgaria, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Georgia, Gibraltar, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzistan, Lao, Latvia, Lithuania, Malawi, Myanmar, Namibia, Reunion, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, Uzbekistan
1996 Product release The Nokia Communicatoris released. It is the first mobile phone to enable internet connectivity and wireless email creating a new category of multi-use devices called smartphones.[40]
1996 Product release Palm OS is launched as a discontinued mobile operating system, designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface.
1996 (January) Product release The Motorola StarTAC is release as a clamshell mobile phone. Manufactured by Motorola is the first ever clamshell/flip mobile phone.[41][9][4] United States
1996 Product release The Nokia 8110 is launched. Its distinctive styling is the first example of a 'slider' form factor.[9]
1996 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Argentina, Brazil, Brunei, Czechia, Dominica, Guam, South Korea, Libya, Mauritius, Oman, Panama, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Venezuela, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Guadalupe, Guernsey, Kenya, Lesotho, Macedonia, Mongolia, Senegal, Sudan, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.[39] Argentina, Brazil, Brunei, Czechia, Dominica, Guam, South Korea, Libya, Mauritius, Oman, Panama, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Venezuela, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Guadalupe, Guernsey, Kenya, Lesotho, Macedonia, Mongolia, Senegal, Sudan, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe,
1996 Product release "1996: Motorola StarTAC" "The most expensive and desirable phone on the market at the time of its release, the StarTac debuted the clamshell design and was the lightest and smallest phone on the market.

It was also the first phone to be openly marketed as a luxury item."[16] ||

1997 Product release Dutch technology company Philips introduces "The Synergy", an early attempt at a digital smartphone. The unit provides wireless access to e-mail, internet and faxes.[5][15]
1997 Product release "The Hagenuk GlobalHandy

This little known German-made and impractically minimal handset was the first phone that had no visible external antenna."[16] ||

1997 (December) Product release Nokia 6110 is launched. Hugely popular, It is the first phone from Nokia to have the popular Snake game pre-installed. [4]
1997 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Barbados, Bermuda, Chile, Malta, Slovakia, Uruguay, Virgin Islands, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Guinea, Martinique, Mozambique, Romania, Togo and Zambia.[39] Barbados, Bermuda, Chile, Malta, Slovakia, Uruguay, Virgin Islands, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Guinea, Martinique, Mozambique, Romania, Togo, Zambia
1997–1998 Network launch The Iridium system is introduced as the first LEO system intended for commercial service. It is designed by Motorola, and owned by Iridium LLC. The Iridium concept employs a constellation of 66 satellites orbiting in six planes around Earth, and are launched from May 1997 to May 1998. Commercial service begins in November 1998.[18]
1998 Mobile payments are trialled in Finland and Sweden.[1] Finland, Sweden
1998 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Bahamas, Botswana, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Swaziland and Tunisia.[39] Bahamas, Botswana, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Moldova, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tunisia
1998 "The first downloadable content sold to mobile phones was the ringtone, launched by Finland's Radiolinja, laying the groundwork for an industry that would eventually see the Crazy Frog ringtone rack up total earnings of half a billion dollars and beat stadium-filling sob-rockers Coldplay to the number one spot in the UK charts"[16]
1998 Product release " Siemens S10 The first phone with a colour screen, Siemens’ S10 was a landmark device by any yardstick."[16]
1998 Product release Nokia 5110 "Sponsor of London Fashion Week in 1999, it was an instant success and kickstarted the vogue for customising your handset."[16]
1999 Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technical standard is made available for mobile devices.[9]
1999 Product release Nokia Series 40 mobile operating system is introduced with the release of Nokia 7110 device.[42]
1999 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia}}, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Syria, West Bank and Gaza.[39] Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, Ethiopia}}, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Syria, West Bank, Gaza
1999 "Emojis were invented by Shigetaka Kurita in Japan. Unlike their all-text predecessors emoticons, emojis are pictures. The same year in the UK sees the first shots fired in a supermarket price war, with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda selling Pay and Go phones at discounted prices. For the first time, you could pick up a mobile phone for just under £40."[16] Japan
1999 "The first BlackBerry phone was also unveiled in 1999. Famous for its super-easy email service, BlackBerry handsets were seen as the ultimate business tool, allowing users to read and respond to emails from anywhere. This led to 83% of users reading and responding to work emails while on holiday, and over half admitted to sending emails on the toilet, winning the manufacturer the nickname CrackBerry." [16]
1999 Product release "Motorola Timeport" "This was the first tri-band GSM phone, meaning it worked everywhere around the world."[16]
1999–2002 Globalstar is released as a LEO system, consisting in 48 satellites that are launched about the same time as the Iridium constellation. Globalstar begins offering service in October 1999, though it would go into bankruptcy in 2002. A further reorganized Globalstar LP would continue to provide service thereafter.[18]
1999 The first mobile commercial payment system to mimic banks and credit cards is launched in the Philippines, simultaneously by mobile operators Globe Telecom and Smart Communications.[2]
2000 Network launch Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks evolve into General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) (2.5G) and become available.[6]
2000 Product release " Nokia 9210 Communicator" "The first serious attempt at an internet-enabled mobile phone, the Communicator was ahead of its time."[16]
2000 (June) Product release South Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung releases SCH-V200, which integrates digital camera and mobile phone in a unit that can take up to 20 pictures at 640 x 480 (350,000 pixel CCD, 1 MB internal storage).[43] South Korea
2000 (November) Product release Japanese multinational Sharp Corporation releases the J-SH04 mobile phone, the first ever phone with a built-in camera (110,000-pixel CMOS) and color display (256-color display).[44] Japan
2000 Digital mobile telephony introduction Digital mobile telephony is commercially introduced in Dominica, Grenada, Santa Lucia, Anguilla, Benin, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Dominica, Grenada, Santa Lucia, Anguilla, Benin, Burundi, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
2001 (October) Product release Nokia 5510 is released, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard.[15]
2001 (October) Network launch The third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology 3G (FOMA W-CDMA services on the 2GHz) is launched in Japan, with a system offered by NTT DoCoMo.[18] For the first time, mobile devices are fast enough to support online video and music streaming.[4] Developed to serve data communication, 3G can send 10 times more data than 2G.[45] Japan
2002 Product release The first smart phone is invented.[3][15]
2002 (June) Organization The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) is formed as a standards body with aims at developing open standards for the mobile phone industry.[46]
2002 Product release The Sanyo SCP–5300 is released. It allows users to view photos on a screen for the first time, instead of plugging it into a computer.[3][9]
2002 Research Finnish scientists claim that the electromagnetic radiation affect brain tissue.[1]
2003 Product release The Nokia 1100 is released. It would become the biggest–selling phone of all time.[9]
2003 Product release "The first true Blackberry phone, which integrated a phone with fully functioning email, web browsing and the much loved Blackberry Messenger."[16]
2003–2007 Expansion Mobile phone users surpass those using landline telephone in the United States.[36]
2004 Research German–led European laboratory study using mouse models announces that mobile radiation could cause genetic damage.[1]
2004 Product release "Motorola Razr V3" "The last great flip phone, the Razr was impossibly thin at only 14mm. Unusually for the time, it also had an aluminium casing that looked achingly slick."[16]
2005 Product release The Casio GZ'One is released as the first waterproof phone.[9]
2005 Mobile operating system Android is acquired by Google. This step shows that Google is serious about developing mobile technology.[9] United States
2005 Policy The Cell Phone Recycle Act is passed in California.[3] United States
2005 Policy The Finnish government decides that the fastest way to warn citizens of disasters is the mobile phone network.[47] Finland
2006 Study British researcher at the University of Staffordshire links mental wellbeing issues, such as stress, to mobile use.[1] United Kingdom
2006 (June) Network launch The world's first commercial mobile WiMAX service is opened by KT in Seoul. [48] South Korea
2007 Product release Steve Jobs unveils the Apple Iphone, which is released. It has finger–input touchscreen, no keyboard, intuitive interface and apps[3][9][1]
2007 Policy Google opens Android operating system for free development and use, making its own services default for search, video and email.[9]
2007 Network launch The first 4G network is launched in South Korea.[9] South Korea
2007 Coverage The total number of mobile phone subscribers in the world is estimated at 3.3 billion, equivalent of over half the planet's population.[47] 295 million 3G users are estimated around the world. This number accounts for 9% of the total worldwide number of mobile users.[4]
2008 Policy The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) sets forward a list of requirements for what it calls IMT Advanced, or 4G. These requirements include data rates of 1 gigabit per second for a stationary user and 100 megabits per second for a moving user.[18]
2008 Network shutdown The whole Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) service is shut down across North America. This would be considered the end of an era.[4]
2008 Product release HTC corporation releases the HTC Dream the first commercially released device to use the Linux-based Android operating system.[9]
2008 (july 10) Product release The App Store (iOS) is launched, featuring 552 apps, 135 of which are free.[9]
2008 Product shutdown Microsoft deprecates windows mobile, saying that it can't compete with iPhone and Android. The development of Windows Phone begins.[9] United States
2009 (January) Product launch Whatsapp is launched.[9][49]
2009 Network launch Swedish telephone company TeliaSonera introduces the first 4G LTE network in Stockholm.[18] Sweden
2010 "Samsung launched its first Galaxy S smartphone. Usurping former Android giants, HTC, the Samsung Galaxy S range is still the most popular Android brand."[16]
2010 Samsung, Nokia, LG Electronics, ZTE Corporation and Apple Inc. altogether control more than 70% of the world mobile phone market.[26]
2010 Policy The International Telecommunication Union decides that two technologies, LTE-Advanced (Long Term Evolution; LTE) and WirelessMan-Advanced (also called WiMAX), meet the requirements for a 4G.[18]
2012 Organization The British Government announces the establishment of a 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey.[50] United Kingdom
2014 Acquisition American corporation Facebook acquires Whatsapp for US$ 19 billion.[9] United States
2015 (September) Program launch Verizon Communications announces a roadmap to begin testing 5G in field trials in the United States in 2016.[51]
2015 (October) Technology AT&T first introduces Wi-Fi calling, a feature that allows customers to place calls over Wi-Fi in instances where a cellular connection is poor.[52] United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
2016 (February) NTT DoCoMo and Ericsson succeed in World's first trial to achieve a cumulative 20Gbit/s with two simultaneously connected mobile devices in 5G outdoor trial.[53]
2016 "The Pokemon Go app launched worldwide. The free augmented reality game uses the smartphone camera and location to show Pokemon characters in the real world. The aim of the game is to travel to different locations to collect as many Pokemon as possible, leading countless gamers to walk into lamp-posts in their quest to catch ‘em all."[16]
2017 (April) Huawei announces having jointly with Telenor conducted successful 5G tests with speeds up to 70 Gbit/s in a controlled lab environment in Norway.[54] Norway
2017 (July) Telecom Italia Mobile signs a memorandum of understanding with the government of San Marino to upgrade its 4G network to 5G. It would be the first nationwide 5G network in the world.[55] Italy, San Marino

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See also

External links

References

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