| The idea for cell phones has been around for a lot | | | | at Bell Labs, Joel Engel, who had been racing with him |
| longer than the technology to provide them was. As | | | | to create the invention.Within a couple of years, both |
| soon as the first landlines came into use, people had | | | | Bell and AT&T had come up with prototypes of their |
| the idea of improving the convenience and flexibility of | | | | own and the first trial areas were set up. Chicago and |
| this new communication medium, and of bringing it to | | | | Tokyo were the first cities in the world where you |
| new areas such as cars. At first, cell phones were little | | | | could use a cell phone but their availability was |
| more than two way portable radios, but as technology | | | | extremely limited and the new phones were only |
| improved, the concepts behind cell phones improved | | | | available to a select number of trial customers to begin |
| rapidly.Bell labs and Motorola were both involved in a | | | | with. For example, the 1979 trial venture in Chicago |
| dramatic race to see who could invent the first viable | | | | distributed cell phones to just 2000 customers.The idea |
| cell phones. While Bell labs had installed innovative radio | | | | caught on like wildfire. By 1987 there were over one |
| systems into police cars, these devices were far too | | | | million cell phone users in the US alone. It seemed as if |
| large for anyone to carry around and were thus | | | | everyone wanted a cell phone and the major |
| impractical as a truly mobile telephone. However, in | | | | companies involved had really hit a home run. |
| 1973, Martin Cooper, a scientist working for Motorola | | | | However, there were difficulties. For example, in the |
| successfully made the first ever cell phone call using a | | | | US, the FCC regulates and allocates radio bandwidth |
| portable handset. The age of the cell phone was at | | | | for different purposes. |
| last born, and who did he call? None other than his rival | | | | |