Today is the cell phone’s 40th birthday — how far we have come
On April 3rd, 1973 Motorola Engineer Martin Cooper placed the first call from a cellular telephone. 40 years later, is it merely a coincidence that the company that gave birth to the modern mobile phone is now owned by the most dominant force in the smartphone industry? It’s definitely a sign of how far we have come. In the early days, it was a technical feat simply to connect a wireless call on fledgeling networks. Today, the focus is on the software that drives the devices connecting to high-speed data networks.
In a few more years, the cellphone as it was once conceived will no longer exist. Voice-over-IP calling will replace traditional cellular networks. The focus will continue to shift to messaging, media, and social interactions taking place on a smartphone that would have been considered a super computer in 1973.
Could those building the first cellphones have envisioned where the technology would end up just shy of a half-century later? What do the next 40 years hold for the future of mobile? For mobile fans, it is an exciting time full of promise. So cheers to Mr. Cooper and all the pioneers who helped make the mobile phone a possibility, and happy 40th birthday to the cellphone. We’re looking forward to what the coming years hold.