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