| The first mobile phones introduced in the UK could only | | | | as you go mobile phones were quite high compared to |
| just be called 'mobile'. They resembled a house brick, if | | | | the pay-monthly counterparts. The same holds true |
| not in colour then certainly in size, and cost more than | | | | today. |
| the car you used them in. The only accessory was | | | | Once the mobile phone had been established as a |
| the extraordinary briefcase-sized battery and receiver | | | | household item, extra features began to appear. |
| pack you had to cart around with it, and an integrated | | | | Designers became more adventurous and mobile |
| camera was just the stuff of dreams. | | | | phones became a little more than a brick with rubber |
| That was 22 years ago, in 1985. Vodafone was the | | | | buttons. The first break from the norm came with the |
| first commercially available network, operating from a | | | | Nokia 7110, sometimes called the Matrix phone |
| head office located above a curry house in Newbury. | | | | because of its sliding panel similar to the ones used in |
| The only people able to have a mobile phone in the | | | | the film The Matrix. The 7110 was also the first media |
| mid 80's were 'yuppies', or well-off young business folk. | | | | phone, with WAP function, bringing the power of the |
| Cellnet (later to become O2) were the next on the | | | | internet to the mobile for the first time. |
| scene, forecasting just 1 million customers in their first | | | | This was in 2001. Since then, the popularity of mobile |
| year. Until One2One (now T-Mobile) came along in | | | | phones, both pay as you go and pay monthly, has |
| 1993 the mobile phone market belonged solely to these | | | | spiralled. There are now more phones than people in |
| two providers. | | | | the UK. A colour screen, camera and WAP, which just |
| As well as being the first commercial network, | | | | 7 years ago were the pinnacle of modern technology, |
| Vodafone also has the distinction of being the first to | | | | are now standard features on a handset. Satellite |
| offer the pay as you go service. This tariff was | | | | navigation, Mp3's and video conferencing are a far cry |
| revolutionary on its launch, and meant that you could | | | | from getting excited over sending the first text |
| just pay for the calls you made, and not be tied to a | | | | message on your black plastic housebrick with the |
| contract and monthly bill. Unfortunately the price of pay | | | | double-line green screen. |