Analysis: thanks to advances in technology and communication, mobile phone
systems worldwide have been utterly transformed
By <http://twitter.com/corneliathinks> Cornelia Connolly,
<https://www.nuigalway.ie/colleges-and-schools/arts-social-sciences-and-celt
ic-studies/education/contactus/dr-tony-hall.html> Tony Hall and
<https://twitter.com/jimlenaghan> Jim Lenaghan, <http://nuigalway.ie/> NUI
Galway
Mobile telephony followed mobile radio systems. In contrast to the
established wired services of the early 1900s, radio transmitters working at
the same frequency interfere with each other and only a limited number of
channels are available at any one time, within a certain range.
In the early days, local, regional, national and international
telecommunication networks were required in order to telecommunicate.
Individual users were connected with one or more local networks. The users,
such as subscribers of public networks, were connected by their local
exchange mainly by means of a single cable pair, open-wire, or at distant or
isolated locations by radio (nowadays by broadband optical fiber systems).
Generally, national telecommunication networks consist of a number of local
or regional exchanges, connected via transmission links with a tandem
exchange, which are themselves interconnected by means of copper or optical
fiber cable, radio relay or satellite.
Back then, a member of the general public who was keen to acquire a mobile
phone, and rich enough to pay for one, would gain access to a local network,
but countrywide coverage was unavailable. The reasons for the popularity and
widespread use of mobile communications were largely driven by economics.
There was limited return on investment for telecommunication companies
establishing an elaborate network without payback so companies waited until
equipment became relatively inexpensive and expected user demand high.
In the United States, <http://att.com/> AT&T implemented the first car
phone system in St. Louis that had one transceiver station with six FM
channels. In 1921, the US congress passed
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Graham_Act> the Graham Act, which
exempted telephony from
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Antitrust_Act_of_1890> the Antitrust
Act, permitting AT&T to acquire competing companies and legally create a
virtual monopoly.
US Congress created the <https://www.fcc.gov/> Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and defined its powers in the
<https://bja.ojp.gov/program/it/privacy-civil-liberties/authorities/statutes
/1288> Communication Act of 1934. The FCC was given jurisdiction over
interstate and foreign commerce in communications, but not
telecommunications within a state. Use of radio frequency spectrum and
licensing of radio transmitters were given to the FCC. Jurisdiction over
telecommunications within each state was the concern of the states public
utility commission.
When <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs> Bell Laboratories
<https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/09/the-1947-paper-that-
first-described-a-cell-phone-network/245222/> proposed cellular mobile
telephony technology to the FCC in 1947, spectrum was not granted for mobile
telephony due to the influence of the television industry. Not until May
1970 did the FCC grant parts of the spectrum for mobile telephony. Bell
Laboratories had a technology called
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Mobile_Phone_System> Advanced Mobile
Phone System (AMPS) which was ready to be developed in 1971. The basic
principles of cellular telephony were comprehensively described in AT&T's
technical journal in 1979. However, the first system was not made available
to consumers until 1983 due to government intervention. (In order to
stimulate competition, the FCC decided two licenses would be issued in each
area).
From Periscope Film, a film from Bell in the late 1940s explains the
operation of the Mobile Telephone Service
The introduction of these cellular systems in the late 1970s and early 1980s
represented a quantum leap in mobile communication around capacity and
mobility. As semiconductor technology and microprocessors were made smaller
and lighter, more refined mobile systems became a reality.
The AMPS technology, a 1G cellular system, was reaching its capacity in the
late 1980s. Temporary solutions such as
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-division_multiple_access> Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA) provided additional capacity, but
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Communications_Service> Personal
Communications Services (PCS) networks became the more concrete solution.
This is defined as 'a broad range of radio communications service that free
individuals from the constraints of wire-line
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_switched_telephone_network> Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and enable them to communication when they
are away from their home or office telephone.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-division_multiple_access> Code Division
Multiple Access (CMDA) became the most popular technology for the PCS
system.
Across the Atlantic, Europe took a different approach. Many technical
innovations emerged in Scandinavia with the first mobile telephony system
<https://timelines.issarice.com/wiki/Timeline_of_telephony_in_Sweden>
established in Sweden in 1950. The Scandinavian countries formed the
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Council> Nordic Council, which
developed the <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Mobile_Telephone>
Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) cellular system.
From Brick Cellphones, a guide to the Benefon Forte which only operated on
the NMT450 cellular standard
In 1975, the Nordic Mobile Telephone 450 specifications were established and
the first system was used commercially in 1981. Compared to the American
AMPS, the NMT standard was easier to deploy, had roaming properties and
utilized digital switching technology. The other major standard in Europe
was the United Kingdoms
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Access_Communication_System> Total
Access Communications System (TACS), a variation of the AMPS.
In 1982, the successor to NMT and TACS was determined by the European
working group
<https://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sustainable_growth/docs
/events/past_events/4th_ws_utilities/gsma.pdf> Groupe Speciale Mobile. The
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM> Global System for Mobile (GSM)
communications used narrowband TDMA and the necessity to improve
transmission quality, system capacity and coverage led to the development of
the 2G cellular system. The innovation in semiconductor technology and
microwave devices subsequently introduced digital transmission to mobile
communications.
An agreement was made by 12 European countries to support the GSM standard
in 1987 and GSM was supported in time by all European Union countries. There
was a generous allocation of frequency bands from 890 to 915MHz and from 935
to 960MHz for the up- and down- link respectively. That new system offered
security against unauthorised intrusion, better sound quality, cheaper sets
and wider access.
From Tech Insider, a history of mobile phones and how drastically they've
changed
In the early 1980s, less than one million subscribers were registered
worldwide, primarily due to such constraints as expensive equipment,
restricted mobility and limited service. With the introduction of 1G, the
mobile market gew annually by rates of 30% to 50% and had risen to nearly 20
million subscribers by 1990.
In the early 2000s, multiple 1G and 2G cellular systems were used in
worldwide mobile communications. 2G cellular systems include GSM,
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_AMPS> Digital AMPS (D-AMPS), CDMA and
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Digital_Cellular> Personal Digital
Communication (PDC). Different standards serve different applications and
different levels of mobility, capability, and service areas.
GSM is the most successful family of cellular standards (GSM900, GSM-R,
GSM1800, GSM1900 and GSM400), and supports some 250 million of the worlds
450 million users with international roaming in around 140 countries and
over 400 networks. Phase 1 of the standardisation of GSM900 was completed by
the <https://www.etsi.org/> European Telecommunications Institute (ETSI) in
1990 and included all necessary
definitions for the GSM network operators, but only some very basic
supplementary services were offered.
Phase 2 (1995) incorporated a large variety of supplementary services
comparable to the digital fixed network ISDN standards. In 1996, ETSI
decided to further enhance GSM in annual Phase 2+ releases that absorbed 3G
capabilities.
The <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMTS> Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS) was a 3G GSM successor standard that is
downward compatible with GSM, using the GSM Phase 2+ enhanced core network.
Envisioned as the successor to GSM UMTS signalled the move into the third
(3G) and fourth generation (4G) of mobile networks, addressing the growing
demand of mobile and Internet applications for new capabilities along with
establishing a global roaming standard.
Within a few years, mobile phone systems worldwide have been utterly
transformed. Invention and improvement of electrical telecommunications
technology throughout the world has advanced from the simple communication
methods such as smoke and drums, to a telegraph link, into a proliferation
of networks of wired and wireless communication channels and switching
centres that can be networked to provide a seamless global network.
Through this network, information in the form of print, electronic and
spoken word, pictures and data can be transferred between most points in the
world almost instantaneously. Undoubtedly, wireless communication services
are expected to be the telecommunication industrys most significant growth
area in the next decade.
<http://twitter.com/corneliathinks> Dr Cornelia Connolly is a Lecturer and
Researcher in educational design, education technology and computer science
education at the <https://www.nuigalway.ie/education/> School of Education
at <http://nuigalway.ie/> NUI Galway.
<https://www.nuigalway.ie/colleges-and-schools/arts-social-sciences-and-celt
ic-studies/education/contactus/dr-tony-hall.html> Dr Tony Hall is a senior
lecturer in Educational Technology and a design-based researcher in the
<https://www.nuigalway.ie/education/> School of Education at
<http://nuigalway.ie/> NUI Galway. <https://twitter.com/jimlenaghan> Jim
Lenaghan is Chief Technical Officer at <http://nuigalway.ie/> NUI Galway
where he manages the technical support for teaching, learning and research
at the <https://www.nuigalway.ie/education/> School of Education.
RTÉ Technology & Innovation News.
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