October 19th, 2006 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Smartphones & Tablets | 1 Comment »
Ericsson celebrates 50 years since they created the first mobile phone and so the 50th birthday of the industry. With their mobile phone, back in 1956, they created a true breakthrough in history.
Their first mobile phone system was called Mobile Telephony A (MTA) and had a few hundred subscribers which where mostly business people around Stockholm and Gothenburg. Also the phones didn’t really need a manual as they could not do more then just dial a number. The network was built for the Swedish Telecommunication Administration who carries the name Teliasonera these days. The network worked on the 160 Mhz band and used pulse signals. One network could hold up to a hundred users.
The first phones where mainly used within cars. Main reason for this was the transmission equipment needed for the MTA. The equipment’s weight was a massive 40 KG. Not something I’d like to carry around all day.
The knowledge that Ericsson gained with Teliasonera was later used for the Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) network which Ericsson built in 1981. Later, Ericsson proved one of the key players for defining the GSM system which was introduced in 1991.
Thank god for mobile phones !!! what would the world be without cell phones ??