When was the mobile phone invented? The emergence of modern phones, mobile communications. Who invented the iPhone
Who invented the mobile phone?
The cell phone is only 32 years old. The mobile “first-born” weighed a whole kilogram and cost exorbitant money by today’s standards - $3,900 (for comparison, a Ford Mustang Mach 1 could be purchased for $3,300).Most people believe that a mobile phone does not have a specific inventor, like, say, a television. This is not so, although different companies are still challenging the championship. The history of the invention of the first cell phone dates back to the post-war period. It was then that AT&T, or rather its Bell Laboratories research laboratory, first came up with the idea of creating a mobile phone. True, the developers were going to make phones only for cars. A person will not walk with a 30-40 kg (and this without a power source!) apparatus in his hands! Telephones gradually became smaller and by the 70s of the twentieth century they “lost weight” to 12 - 14 kilograms, but still worked only from the car’s on-board network.
At the same time, Motorola, known for its portable radios, was approaching the development of cell phones. In 1954, its department for the development of new portable communication devices was headed by Illinois Institute of Technology graduate Martin Cooper. In 1967, a group of young engineers led by Cooper creates small-format walkie-talkies for the Chicago police. After some time, Martin comes to the idea of the real possibility of creating mobile phones. But even in his own company they do not immediately support him. “People thought I was crazy when I tried to explain to them that a small, pocket-sized cordless telephone was not only possible, but would be a huge success,” says cell phone inventor Martin Cooper. necessarily having to find a telephone booth or pay phone on the wall, someone will pay money.”
In the spring of 1973, installers installed a base station at the top of a 50-story skyscraper in New York. And on April 3, 1973, on the corner of 56th Street and Lexington Avenue, in the heart of Manhattan, a historical event took place. Martin Cooper called Joel Engel, head of research at Bell Laboratories, straight from the street. Why him? The fact is that AT&T developed cellular technology years before Motorola. But in the 60s and 70s, both companies stubbornly competed: who would make communication more practical and convenient. Martin could not resist the courage that gripped him and the temptation to clearly demonstrate who had won. As Cooper himself later said, he uttered the following words: “Imagine, Joel, I’m calling you from the world’s first cell phone. It’s in my hands, and I’m walking down a New York street.”
Cooper, now 75 years old, is president of ArrayComm in San Jose, California. Given Cooper's well-deserved highest authority, it is worth taking a closer look at his new area of activity: Cooper's company is working on so-called "smart" antennas and is about to make another breakthrough in wireless technology.
“It’s funny to be part of history: what better thing can you do in life than try to change the world? The cell phone gave freedom, and that’s what I’m proud of,” Martin Cooper smiles. Such is the beautiful history of the tiny and elegant device that you may be holding to your ear at this moment.
By the way
The first Dyna-Tac cell phone was a handset weighing about 1.15 kg and measuring 22.5 x 12.5 x 3.75 cm. There were 12 keys on the front panel, 10 of them digital and two for making a call and ending a call. No display, no additional functions. The battery allowed communication for as long as 35 minutes, but it took more than 10 hours to charge it.
Modern mobile phones are significantly different from what they used 20 or even 10 years ago. Photo evidence is attached.
The world's first mobile phone: Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (1983)
Today, Motorola cannot be called a leader in the mobile industry, but it is the company that released the world's first mobile phone. It turned out to be the DynaTAC 8000X model. A prototype of the device was shown in 1973, but commercial sales began only in 1983. The powerful DynaTAC weighed almost a kilogram, ran for an hour on a single battery charge, and could store up to 30 phone numbers.
First car phone: Nokia Mobira Senator (1982)
In the early 1980s, the Nokia Mobira Senator became widely known. It came out in 1982 and was the first of its kind - it was intended for use in a car, while weighing about 10 kilograms.
Gorbachev spoke on it: Nokia Mobira Cityman 900 (1987)
In 1987, Nokia introduced the Mobira Cityman 900, the first device for NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony) networks. The device became easily recognizable due to the fact that Mikhail Gorbachev used it to make a call from Helsinki to Moscow, and this was not ignored by photographers. Nokia Mobira Cityman 900 weighed approximately 800 grams. The price was high - in terms of today's money, its purchase would cost Americans $6,635, and Russians - 202,482 rubles.
First GSM phone: Nokia 101 (1992)
The Nokia phone with the modest number 101 was the first commercially available device capable of operating on GSM networks. The monoblock with a monochrome screen had a retractable antenna and a book with 99 numbers. Unfortunately, it did not yet have the famous Nokia tune ringtone, since the composition appeared in the next model, released in 1994.
Touchscreen: IBM Simon Personal Communicator (1993)
One of the first attempts to create a communicator was the joint development of IBM and Bellsouth. The IBM Simon Personal Communicator phone ditched the keyboard, offering instead a touchscreen with a stylus. For $899, buyers received a device that could make calls, send faxes and store notes.
First flip phone: Motorola StarTAC (1996)
In 1996, Motorola confirmed its title as an innovator by introducing the first flip phone, the StarTAC. The device was considered stylish and fashionable, it was compact not only for that time, but also in comparison with modern smartphones.
First smartphone: Nokia 9000 Communicator (1996)
The weight of the Nokia 9000 Communicator (397 grams) did not prevent the phone from becoming popular. The first smartphone was equipped with 8 MB of memory and monochrome screens. When opened, the user's gaze revealed a QWERTY keyboard, making it easier to work with text.
Replacement panels: Nokia 5110 (1998)
In the late 1990s, companies realized that consumers viewed mobile phones not only as communication tools, but also as accessories. In 1998, Nokia released the 5110 model, which supported replaceable panels. The phone has also become popular due to its excellent build and good operating time. It featured the famous game “Snake”.
First phone with a camera: Sharp J-SH04 (2000)
Sharp J-SH04 was released in Japan in 2000. This is the world's first camera phone. The camera resolution today seems ridiculous - 0.1 megapixels, but then the J-SH04 seemed like something incredible. After all, the phone could be used as a bad camera, but still a camera.
Mail - the main thing: RIM BlackBerry 5810 (2002)
RIM introduced its first BlackBerry in 2002. Before this, the Canadian manufacturer was producing organizers. The main drawback of the BlackBerry 5810 was the lack of a microphone and speakers - to talk on it, you needed a headset.
PDA meets phone: Palm Treo 600 (2003)
Palm has long been considered the main manufacturer of PDAs (personal pocket computers) and in 2003 released the extremely successful Treo 600 model. The communicator with a QWERTY keyboard, color screen, 5-way navigation key was based on Palm OS 5.
Gaming phone: Nokia N-Gage (2003)
Nokia has made several attempts to capture the minds of mobile players and not all of them were successful. The first truly gaming phone is called Nokia N-Gage. Its design is similar to a handheld console and was positioned as an alternative to the Nintendo Game Boy. On the front side there are gaming control keys, which few people found convenient. The games themselves were recorded on MMC memory cards. The microphone and speaker in N-Gage are located at the end, so all users looked like Cheburashkas during conversations. There were a lot of disadvantages and the project failed.
O2 XDA II (2004)
O2, like Palm, was heavily involved in PDAs. In 2004, the XDA II model appeared, offering users a sliding QWERTY keyboard and office applications. The price was steep back then – $1,390.
Razor-thin: Motorola RAZR V3 (2004)
The best-selling clamshell is the Motorola RAZR V3. The model attracted attention with its subtle and stylish design. The creators took inspiration from the “old man” StarTAC and eventually released a device, clad in a body with aluminum inserts, with a VGA camera (0.3 MP), Bluetooth, GSM. Afterwards, the improved RAZR V3x, RAZR V3i and RAZR V3xx with a better camera, 3G, microSD were seen.
First phone with iTunes: Motorola ROKR E1 (2005)
In 2005, few could have imagined that Apple, specializing in computers and music players, would decide to enter the mobile industry (and introduce the popular iPhone). The company entered into an agreement with Motorola, and as a result, ROKR E1 was created - a device with support for the iTunes music library. Customers' expectations were not met - few people liked the candy bar with Motorola-design, slow USB 1.1 interface, outdated 0.3-megapixel camera and limit on storing songs (100 pieces).
Motorola MOTOFONE F3 (2007)
Motorola MOTOFONE F3 was sold for only 60 US dollars. One of the most affordable devices on the market offered a display made using electronic paper technology (EPD, Electronic Paper Display). The advantages include low weight and small thickness.
Easy finger control: Apple iPhone (2007)
The first version of the Apple iPhone was originally released in the US in 2007. The touchphone with a 2-megapixel camera, a 3.5-inch touch screen, and a convenient finger-oriented interface supported only second-generation networks. The iPhone did not work with MMS and could not record video. In 2008, the iPhone 3G was released, and in 2009, the iPhone 3GS. The concept has not changed in three years - programs and a user-friendly interface are at the center.
In our century, when science and technology are developing at a rapid pace, many of us cannot imagine life without mobile phones. Of course, telephones have become such a convenient thing that to abandon them would mean entering the “Prehistoric” era. Now the phone can not only transmit sound over a distance. It most likely looks like a device with more capabilities than what is called a telephone.
And that is why the mobile phone is so popular among the masses. Each buyer can choose a mobile phone from a wide range of models. The operator's coverage allows communication to be used almost throughout the entire planet.
Idea creating wireless mobile devices began to worry scientists as soon as a regular landline telephone appeared. Back in 1947, Bell Laboratories, which belonged to AT&T, proposed create a mobile phone. Even then there were the first attempts: a hybrid of a radio transmitter and a telephone was created. The car housed a radio station that transmitted a signal to the telephone exchange. And in order to connect to a radiotelephone, you had to call the telephone exchange and tell the number of the telephone set installed in the car. To transmit sound, a button was used, which was held down during the conversation. And to hear the answer, she was released. The possibilities for this type of communication were very limited. This type of connection was hampered by various obstacles, which greatly deteriorated the quality of transmitted speech.
For the sake of such pleasure, a device weighing 12 kilograms was placed in the trunk of a car. The control panel and handset were located in the cabin. And the antenna was mounted in the roof. This device has greatly helped cellular users by freeing their hands from such heaviness.
On April 3, 1973, the head of the mobile communications department made the first call in human history. While walking along the streets of Manhattan, Martin Cooper decided to call the AT&T Bell Labs office on his mobile phone. He stood near the first cellular antenna, which was installed on one of the nearby skyscrapers. Who do you think Cooper called? He called his competitor named Joel Angel. Passers-by were very surprised, since at that time no one had seen anything like this. The advent of commercial mobile communications was 10 years away.
And so March 6, 1983 was The first commercial cell phone was released. The result of 15 years of development by Motorola was a mobile device called DynaTAC 8000X. About $100 million was spent on the implementation of this phone. The weight of the phone was 794 grams, dimensions - 33 * 4.4 * 8.9 cm. The battery charge was enough for an hour of calls, and in standby mode for 8 hours. The display was LED. Although the first model of the phone was priced at $3,995, its popularity grew rapidly and thousands of Americans stood in line to purchase the DynaTAC 8000X.
No consumer technology has been around for such a long period of time (37 years). From the beginning of the creation of the first cellular technology to permission for its commercial use.
Motorola began massively produce mobile devices and for many years remained a trendsetter in the field of wireless cellular communications. The popularity of the new technology was gaining momentum. Companies could not provide mobile communications to everyone. The reason for the slow adoption of new subscribers was insufficient telephone exchange capacity, insufficient number of transmitters and a small frequency range.
Bell System, which created her first phone model half a year later than the manufacturer Motorola, had 545 customers in New York in 1978, and another 3.7 thousand future subscribers stood in line for telephones. The waiting period for such luxury could last 5-10 years. The general picture in the USA is 20 thousand customers purchasing Bell System phones.
Every year we are provided with more and more new phone models. And their capabilities are becoming more and more complex and functional. And who knows what awaits us next year. What else will mobile device manufacturers please us with? In our rush to buy new models of mobile phones, we forget their original purpose – voice communication between subscribers. But everything in the World is changing and technologies unfamiliar to us are turning into our assistants. And yet, you must admit, they make our lives more interesting!
It is believed that the history of mobile phones began in 1910. It was then that Robert Sloss, a well-known American journalist, predicted the appearance in the near future of devices with which it would be possible to make remote calls without a direct connection to the PBX. It is unlikely that he could have imagined what those same devices would be like 100 years later. In fact, they are already full-fledged computers. And making calls is one of their many additional functions, which is far from the main one. When was the very first cell phone created and who was its inventor? Which device was the first to go on serial sale, that is, was available to everyone?
History of creation
If you believe history, then the first cell phone in the world, or rather its working prototype, was created by the Soviet scientist Leonid Ivanovich Kupriyanovich. The operating principle of such a device was based on transmitting a radio signal over a distance. This was in 1957. This function was performed by a built-in repeater. Simply put, it was a portable radio that had the ability to generate a signal and distribute it over open areas.
Of course, the transmission distance was relatively minuscule. Yes, and it was possible to catch such a signal with the most ordinary radio receiver. There was no talk of any encryption back then. The main task facing Leonid Ivanovich was to transmit a radio signal over a distance using a portable base station. It is from this moment that the history of the creation of a mobile phone begins in the form in which we are accustomed to seeing it.
Of course, the test sample can only be called portable. The tube itself weighed about 3 kilograms and was connected to a base station, in which the radio frequency signal reception/transmission module was integrated. The battery was also placed there. 
Kupriyanovich's development was not completed with this prototype. Already in 1961, he presented a more modernized variation of his device. And even then it could really be called pocket-sized, because it weighed only 1.2 kilograms. True, it only worked for 10 minutes, after which it was necessary to change power sources. But the main thing is that the scientist created a trend that absolutely all mobile phone manufacturers followed in the future. They are still observed today. 
Release of Motorola DynaTAC
Motorola became famous throughout the world in 1973. After all, it was she who introduced the first cell phones for widespread distribution. We are talking about Motorola DynaTAC. True, the finished prototype went on sale only 10 years later - in 1983, but this was already connected with the development of cellular networks, which subsequently led to the creation of GSM coverage. Motorola DynaTAC, according to journalists, could provide uninterrupted communication for 1 hour. And in standby mode it worked for about 8 hours, after which it had to be charged. The battery, by the way, was charged from scratch in as much as 10 hours. And its power was so high that often test samples of Motorola DynaTAC simply overheated due to a short circuit. 
Over the next 10 years, the company actively modernized the presented device and already in 1984 the DynaTAC 8000X went on sale. In essence, this is a test cellular mobile phone. True, visually it looked like a huge suitcase, to which was attached a handset with a built-in speaker and microphone. It would be a stretch to call it portable. In any case, with its help it was really possible to call a landline telephone exchange remotely, anywhere, for subsequent communication with the specified subscriber. 
However, few people know that Motorola DynaTAC is not a unique device that works according to cellular network standards. It is worth mentioning PAT-0.5 and ATRT-0.5 - these are the first cell phones developed by scientists from Bulgaria. True, they worked exclusively in combination with the RATC-10 base station, capable of locally creating microcellular networks with a maximum load of 6 subscribers. From that moment on, the creation of a cellular signal transmission standard began, which began to be actively implemented everywhere only in 1992 (in Germany). And already in 1993, Russia created its own GSM network operator, which was the closed joint-stock community MTS. Until this moment, only the operator Delta Telecom was functioning, which provided communication services according to NMT-450 standards. True, the cost of connection was about 4 thousand dollars.
As for the DynaTAC 8000X, it enjoyed unprecedented popularity. The manufacturer did not even have time to satisfy the demand for this device. And this despite the fact that its then cost was $3,995! Even by today's standards, this is a cosmic price. By the way, the first cell phones were eventually in demand mainly by automobile concerns, which supplied their cars with them. Essentially, it was a marketing ploy on their part to attract new customers. 
Integration of color displays
DynaTAC 8000X did not have a display (only some prototypes had one). Its base station had only 12 keys. With their help, you could dial a subscriber number, accept or end a call. A little later, mobile phones with a pre-installed liquid crystal display appeared. But the first “smartphone” with a color display was the Siemens S10. True, it displayed only 3 colors, which were conventionally divided into 8 shades. This was in 1995. And in 1996, the Nokia Communicator, a full-fledged smartphone, appeared on the consumer market. True, he had a proprietary OS installed, which was completely closed to third-party developers. That is, no applications were released for it. 
And the further history of the development of mobile phones is already known to many. In just a few years, GSM networks appeared in most developed countries. The generally accepted standard was the GSM-900 and GSM-1800 network. They are still available, but no longer meet the modern requirements of the end user due to the low quality of data transmission, high vulnerability to hacking and noise (“zero” information).
Altai system
Historical references rarely mention the experimental Altai system, organized back in 1963 and operating at a frequency of 150 megahertz. It is a nationwide communication standard for wireless audio transmission. By 1973 it was fully integrated into the fixed network. That is, through it it was possible to call landline stations. In the same year, the standard was partially changed - the frequency range was expanded to 330 megahertz. It is interesting that until 2011, Altai continued to function at the state level. The network was actively used in many cities. Currently, the system operates exclusively in Novosibirsk, but the issue of terminating support (for financial reasons) is already being considered. 
But it is worth considering that only wireless base stations developed specifically on the territory of the USSR were connected to the Altai system. We are not talking about traditional mobile phones. However, some foreign companies have attempted to produce communication devices that would support such a standard. But the Soviet government refused them all. Not surprising, since the signal transmission was conditionally encrypted. And the prototype for the base stations was the same device developed by Leonid Ivanovich Kuprinovich. 
In total, today it is difficult to say what the first cell phones in the world were. Several high-profile companies were simultaneously developing them. And their developments quite often overlap. Historically, it is generally accepted that the working prototype was initially presented in the USSR. When did the first cell phone appear? In 1957, but it worked on a regular radio frequency. If we talk specifically about the cellular network standard, then the devices that work with them are the PAT-0.5 and ATRT-0.5 devices, which visually look more like huge walkie-talkies. And among those devices that could be purchased by everyone, it is worth mentioning the DynaTAC 8000X from Motorola. It is worth considering that all devices before 1992 used a similar principle of transceiver operation. Only later did they begin to be integrated into microprocessors and compact modules.
Mobile communications in the USSR
We are all accustomed to the fact that mobile technologies and devices come from abroad. Both communication standards (for example, GSM), and the phones themselves, and all equipment of operators bear the mark “Made in not-with-us”. The USA, Europe, Japan and even China provide us with communications. And somehow we forgot that we ourselves used to be leaders in this area. At one time, it was in our country that the world's first automatic mobile communication network was launched. And if not for the attitude of the Soviet leadership, (sabotage?) Perhaps even now we would speak not by “Nokias”, but by “volemots”...
Was there mobile communication in the USSR?
This question may seem strange to many, especially from a generation for which mobile communications are strongly associated with a plastic box with a large color screen, a bunch of buttons and buzzwords such as GPRS, WAP, 3G. Where could mobile communications come from in the Damned Sovk (c)?
Well, first of all, what is mobile communications anyway? What is the definition of this term?
Mobile communications are radio communications between subscribers, the location of one or more of which changes.
Mobile communications can be cellular, trunking, satellite, plus personal radio call systems and zone SMRS (fixed channel through a repeater).
In other words, cellular communications (although this term is probably also not familiar to all users of this very type of communication) is just a variation of a broader concept - mobile communications. Moreover, it appeared much later than the first mobile radio communication systems in general.
In the world, the first mobile communication systems appeared after the First World War. So in 1921, the first radio-equipped police cars began to be used in the United States. But mobile communications of that time were almost entirely used in highly specific forms, primarily by the military, police and all kinds of specialized services. They did not have connections to public telephone networks and were not automatic, so this period can be skipped.
The first mobile communication systems for the average consumer began to appear after World War II. However, these were also rather limited systems. The communication was one-way (simplex), that is, in the image of military radio stations - press the PTT button - you speak, release it - you listen. And the selection of a free radio channel and subsequent connection to the landline telephone network was completely manual. The presence of a control room with telephone ladies and a manual switchboard was an indispensable attribute of such systems.
Those who remember the French film of the 60s "Razinya" can remember the episode when the hero of Louis de Funes spoke on such a "mobile phone" from his car. "Hello, young lady, give me Smolny!"
This leads to a simple conclusion. The process of calling from a mobile phone should be indistinguishable from calling from a regular phone. This will be the criterion for a mobile communication network to be widely used.
So, the world's first fully automatic mobile communication system was created and put into operation in the Soviet Union. And for several years, the USSR was the world leader in the field of mobile communications.
"Altai". The first in the world.
See the first US patent in 1972!
U.S. Patent 3,663,762 -- Cellular Mobile Communication System -- Amos Edward Joel (Bell Labs), filed Dec 21, 1970, issued May 16, 1972 http://www.google.com/patents?vid=3663762 at this link and other patents , later
Work on an automatic mobile communication system, called Altai, began in 1958. In the city of Voronezh, at the Voronezh Research Institute of Communications (VNIIS), subscriber stations (in other words, telephones themselves) and base stations for communication with them were created. The antenna systems were developed at the Moscow State Specialized Design Institute (GSPI), the same place where Soviet television was born. Leningraders worked on other components of Altai, and later enterprises from Belarus and Moldova joined. Specialists from different parts of the Soviet Union joined forces to create an absolutely unique product at that time - automatic mobile communications.
"Altai" was supposed to become a full-fledged telephone installed in a car. You could simply talk on it, like on a regular telephone (i.e., the sound passed in both directions at the same time, the so-called duplex mode). To call another Altai or a regular phone, it was enough to simply dial the number - like on a desk telephone, without any channel switching or conversations with the dispatcher.
It was not easy to realize this opportunity given the technical level of that time. Digital communications, of course, did not yet exist; the voice was transmitted over the air in the usual way. But, in addition to voice, it was necessary to transmit special signals, with the help of which the system itself could find a free radio channel, establish a connection, transmit the dialed telephone number, etc.
Now it seems natural to us to simply dial a number on the buttons of a mobile phone. And in 1963, when the experimental zone of the Altai system was launched in Moscow, a real telephone in a car made an indelible impression. The developers tried to make it as similar as possible to conventional devices: the Altai had a handset, and in some models even a dial for dialing numbers. However, the disk was soon abandoned and replaced with buttons, since turning the disk in a car turned out to be inconvenient.
Party and economic leaders were delighted with the new system. Car phones soon appeared in the ZILs and Chaikas of the upper echelons of the Soviet leadership. They were followed by "Volga" directors of the most important enterprises.
"Altai" of course was not a full-fledged cellular system. Initially, one city and its suburbs were served by just one base station with sixteen radio channels. But for the small number of senior managers who had access to mobile communications, this was enough at first.
The system used a frequency range of 150 MHz - these are frequencies of the same order as the meter band of television. Therefore, an antenna installed on a high tower made it possible to provide communication at a distance of up to tens of kilometers.
A similar system in the USA, IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone Service), was launched in the pilot area a year later. And its commercial launch took place only in 1969. Meanwhile, in the USSR, by 1970, "Altai" was installed and was successfully operating in about 30 cities!
By the way, about the IMTS system. There is one very interesting paragraph in the description of this system.
In the 70s and the early 80s, before the introduction of cellular phones, there were "waiting lists" of up to 3 years for those wishing to have mobile telephone service. These potential subscribers were literally waiting for other subscribers to disconnect their subscription in order to obtain a mobile telephone number and mobile phone service.
I translate:
In the 70's and early 80's, before the advent of cellular communications, there were "waiting lists" of up to 3 years for those wishing to have a mobile connection. Potential subscribers were forced to wait until existing subscribers disconnected from the network in order to receive a telephone number and mobile network services.
Queues! Lists! Numbers! Here it is, the Damned Scoop (c)!!!
Of course, such strict restrictions were caused by the limited number of radio channels. But I specifically draw attention to this so that readers understand that such systems could not be widespread purely for technical reasons, and not because of someone’s malicious intent.
For this reason, the phones of this system were very expensive (from 2 to 4 thousand dollars) and a minute of conversation cost from 70 cents to 1.2 dollars. Often the phones were leased from the company rather than purchased.
And by the way, this system is still in use in Canada and the USA.
Now in Moscow, Leningrad, Tashkent, Rostov, Kyiv, Voronezh and many other cities (and regions) of the USSR, party and economic leaders could calmly talk on the phone from a car. Our country, as strange as it may be to hear now, was a confident leader in the field of mobile communications.
In the 1970s, the Altai system was actively developing. New radio channels were allocated (22 “trunks” of 8 channels each) in the 330 MHz range - i.e. on slightly longer waves than UHF television, which made it possible to provide considerable range and simultaneously serve more subscribers. Thanks to the use of the first microcircuits, subscriber stations became more and more compact - although they still remained car-based (it was possible to carry the phone along with the batteries in a heavy suitcase).
By the mid-70s, the geography of the Altai system gradually expanded to 114 cities of the Soviet Union.
Special work to modernize the equipment had to be carried out for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Moreover, it was precisely for the Olympics that the Altai base station moved to the Ostankino TV tower. Before that, it occupied the top two floors of a high-rise building on Kotelnicheskaya Embankment.
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The famous building on Kotelnicheskaya embankment. In the 60s, the three upper floors were occupied by equipment of the Altai system, which provided the Central Committee and the Supreme Council with excellent mobile communications.
At the Olympics-80, the communications of the modernized Altai-3M system were used very widely and showed their best side. Thus, almost all journalistic reports from the competition took place through Altai. Soviet signalmen became winners of the Olympics along with Soviet athletes; True, they did not receive Olympic medals, but many leading developers received the USSR State Prize.
However, during the Olympics the limitations of “Altai” began to appear. Sometimes journalists complained about poor communications; the engineers recommended that they move the car a little, and everything immediately got better.
In total, by the beginning of the 80s, the number of subscribers of the Altai system was about 25 thousand.
For wireless telephones to become widespread, further development of the system was required - in particular, a transition to the now common use of multiple base stations covering neighboring areas of the territory. And Soviet engineers were quite ready for this development. Unfortunately, not everything depended only on this readiness.
VOLEMOT, which came too late.
In the early 1980s, specialists from VNIIS and other enterprises were ready to work on a new generation communication system. It was called "Volemot" (short for the names of the cities where the developers were located: Voronezh, Leningrad, Molodechno, Ternopil). A special feature of Volemot was the ability to fully use many base stations; during a conversation, you could switch from one of them to another without losing connection.
This function, now known as “handover” and allowing conversations on the move without any problems, made Volemot a full-fledged cellular connection. In addition, automatic roaming was supported: the Volemot device, registered in the network of one city, could be used in another. In this case, the same 330 MHz range was used, and each base station could, if necessary, “cover” tens of square kilometers with communications.
Volemot" could become a mass connection for rural areas, a "true friend" of collective farmers, summer residents and tourists. It would have been better suited for this purpose than the Western cellular systems developed in the same period (AMPS, NMT), since it was easy to ensure its operation over a very wide area. But for servicing many subscribers in a small area (in a city), Volemot was inferior to AMPS and NMT, but further development, however, could solve this problem.
Mobile communications could easily fit into both the Soviet way of life and communist ideology. Initially, telephones could, for example, be installed in villages and holiday villages for collective use and rented out in tourist clubs (for the duration of the trip). The call service from Volemot could appear on long-distance trains or buses. And, of course, there was no threat to “state security” - mobile communications without encryption devices are very easy to eavesdrop on. Therefore, in the future it could well become available to all citizens of the country.
However, for several years it was not possible to obtain the necessary funding for the Volemot project and the development of the system proceeded very slowly. Meanwhile, cellular systems in the West were actively developing and gaining popularity. During the early to mid-1980s, the previous leadership was lost.
“Volemot” was nevertheless completed by the end of the 1980s and was ready to begin deployment, but at that time “the process had already begun” and the possibility of catching up with Europe and the USA was no longer discussed.
Nevertheless, the system was launched in a number of cities in the early 90s and is still in operation, just like Altai. Today their main positioning is professional communications for various services, from taxis to ambulances.
But despite this, full-fledged cellular communications managed to appear in the USSR. The first operator, Leningrad-based Delta Telecom, began operating on September 9, 1991, three and a half months before the collapse of the USSR. This means that work on its installation began six months to a year before this event, when the events that followed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in December were not predicted even by CIA analysts.
Something interesting. The first cell phones.
Mobile (or rather, car!) phone from the early 80s from Nokia - Mobira Senator. The weight of the device is 15 kilograms.
Mobira Talkman is a phone from the second half of the 80s - early 90s. His weight is already only 3 kg.
Motorola's first cell phone was the DynaTAC 8000X, released on March 6, 1983. Its development cost about 100 million dollars (at that time!).
The phone weighed 794 grams and had dimensions of 33x4.4x8.9 cm. The battery charge was enough for 1 hour of talk time or 8 hours of standby time. He had a memory for 30 numbers and ONE melody.
This phone cost $3995. Lasted 10 years in the cellular communications market.
In the network of the first commercial cellular communication company in the United States, Ameritech Mobile, the monthly fee was $50, plus one minute of conversation cost users from 24 to 40 cents (depending on the time of the call). A year after its launch, its network had 12 thousand subscribers.
