A 

mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, or hand phone,

sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell or just phone, is a portable telephone that can
make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone
service area. The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of
a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone
network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture and,
therefore, mobile telephones are called cellular telephones or cell phones in North America. In
addition to telephony, digital mobile phones (2G) support a variety of other services, such
as text messaging, MMS, email, Internet access, short-range wireless communications
(infrared, Bluetooth), business applications, video games and digital photography. Mobile
phones offering only those capabilities are known as feature phones; mobile phones which offer
greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones.[1]
The development of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) large-scale integration (LSI)
technology, information theory and cellular networking led to the development of
affordable mobile communications.[1] The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated
by John F. Mitchell[2][3] and Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing c.
2 kilograms (4.4 lbs).[4] In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the world's
first cellular network in Japan.[citation needed] In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first commercially
available handheld mobile phone. From 1983 to 2014, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions
grew to over seven billion; enough to one for every person on Earth.[5] In the first quarter of
2016, the top smartphone developers worldwide were Samsung, Apple and Huawei;
smartphone sales represented 78 percent of total mobile phone sales.[6] For feature
phones (slang: "dumbphones") as of 2016, the top-selling brands were
Samsung, Nokia and Alcatel.[7]

Contents

 1History
 2Types
o 2.1Smartphone
o 2.2Feature phone
 3Infrastructure
 4Hardware
o 4.1Central processing unit
o 4.2Display
o 4.3Sound
o 4.4Battery
o 4.5SIM card
 5Software
o 5.1Software platforms
o 5.2Mobile app
o 5.3Application stores
 6Sales
o 6.1By manufacturer
o 6.2By mobile phone operator
 7Use
 o 7.1Content distribution
o 7.2Mobile banking and payment
o 7.3Mobile tracking
o 7.4While driving
o 7.5Health effects
o 7.6Educational impact
o 7.7Electronic waste regulation
o 7.8Theft
o 7.9Conflict minerals
o 7.10Kosher phones
 8See also
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links

History
Main article: History of mobile phones

Martin Cooper of Motorola, shown here in a 2007 reenactment, made the first publicized handheld mobile
phone call on a prototype DynaTAC model on 3 April 1973.

A handheld mobile radio telephone service was envisioned in the early stages of radio
engineering. In 1917, Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt filed a patent for a "pocket-size folding
telephone with a very thin carbon microphone". Early predecessors of cellular phones
included analog radio communications from ships and trains. The race to create truly portable
telephone devices began after World War II, with developments taking place in many countries.
The advances in mobile telephony have been traced in successive "generations", starting with
the early zeroth-generation (0G) services, such as Bell System's Mobile Telephone Service and
its successor, the Improved Mobile Telephone Service. These 0G systems were not cellular,
supported few simultaneous calls, and were very expensive.
The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first commercially available handheld cellular mobile
phone.

The development of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) large-scale integration (LSI)

technology, information theory and cellular networking led to the development of
affordable mobile communications,[1] and devices such as the car phone. The first handheld
cellular mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell[2][3] and Martin Cooper of Motorola in
1973, using a handset weighing 2 kilograms (4.4 lb).[4] The first commercial automated cellular
network (1G) analog was launched in Japan by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979. This
was followed in 1981 by the simultaneous launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system
in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.[8] Several other countries then followed in the early
to mid-1980s. These first-generation (1G) systems could support far more simultaneous calls
but still used analog cellular technology. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first
commercially available handheld mobile phone.
Digital cellular networks appeared in the 1990s, enabled by the wide adoption of MOSFET-
based RF power amplifiers (power MOSFET and LDMOS) and RF circuits (RF CMOS),[9][10]
[11]
 leading to the introduction of digital signal processing in wireless communications.[1] In 1991,
the second-generation (2G) digital cellular technology was launched in Finland by Radiolinja on
the GSM standard. This sparked competition in the sector as the new operators challenged the
incumbent 1G network operators. The GSM standard is a European initiative expressed at
the CEPT ("Conférence Européenne des Postes et Telecommunications", European Postal and
Telecommunications conference). The Franco-German R&D cooperation demonstrated the
technical feasibility, and in 1987 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between 13
European countries who agreed to launch a commercial service by 1991. The first version of the
GSM (=2G) standard had 6,000 pages. The IEEE and RSE awarded to Thomas
Haug and Philippe Dupuis the 2018 James Clerk Maxwell medal for their contributions to the
first digital mobile telephone standard.[12] In 2018, the GSM was used by over 5 billion people in
over 220 countries. The GSM (2G) has evolved into 3G, 4G and 5G. The standardisation body
for GSM started at the CEPT Working Group GSM (Group Special Mobile) in 1982 under the
umbrella of CEPT. In 1988, ETSI was established and all CEPT standardization activities were
transferred to ETSI. Working Group GSM became Technical Committee GSM. In 1991, it
became Technical Committee SMG (Special Mobile Group) when ETSI tasked the Committee
with UMTS (3G).
Mr Dupuis and Mr Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium, April 1992

Personal Handy-phone System mobiles and modems, 1997–2003

The lithium-ion battery, an indispensable energy source for modern mobile phones,[13] was

commercialized by Sony and Asahi Kasei in 1991.[14][15] In 2001, the third generation (3G) was
launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on the WCDMA standard.[16] This was followed by 3.5G,
3G+ or turbo 3G enhancements based on the high-speed packet access (HSPA) family,
allowing UMTS networks to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity.
By 2009, it had become clear that, at some point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the
growth of bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming media.[17] Consequently, the
industry began looking to data-optimized fourth-generation technologies, with the promise of
speed improvements up to ten-fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two commercially
available technologies billed as 4G were the WiMAX standard, offered in North America
by Sprint, and the LTE standard, first offered in Scandinavia by TeliaSonera.
5G is a technology and term used in research papers and projects to denote the next major
phase in mobile telecommunication standards beyond the 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. The
term 5G is not officially used in any specification or official document yet made public by
telecommunication companies or standardization bodies such as 3GPP, WiMAX Forum or ITU-
R. New standards beyond 4G are currently being developed by standardization bodies, but they
are at this time seen as under the 4G umbrella, not for a new mobile generation.

Types
Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.[18]

Smartphone
Main article: Smartphone
Smartphones have a number of distinguishing features. The International Telecommunication
Union measures those with Internet connection, which it calls Active Mobile-Broadband
subscriptions (which includes tablets, etc.). In the developed world, smartphones have now
overtaken the usage of earlier mobile systems. However, in the developing world, they account
for around 50% of mobile telephony.

Feature phone
Main article: Feature phone
Feature phone is a term typically used as a retronym to describe mobile phones which are
limited in capabilities in contrast to a modern smartphone. Feature phones typically
provide voice calling and text messaging functionality, in addition to
basic multimedia and Internet capabilities, and other services offered by the user's wireless
service provider. A feature phone has additional functions over and above a basic mobile phone
which is only capable of voice calling and text messaging.[19][20] Feature phones and basic mobile
phones tend to use a proprietary, custom-designed software and user interface. By contrast,
smartphones generally use a mobile operating system that often shares common traits across
devices.

Infrastructure
Main articles: Cellular network and WiFi
Mobile phones communicate with cell towers that are placed to give coverage across a
telephone service area, which is divided up into 'cells'. Each cell uses a different set of
frequencies from neighboring cells, and will typically be covered by three towers placed at
different locations. The cell towers are usually interconnected to each other and the phone
network and the internet by wired connections. Due to bandwidth limitations each cell will have
a maximum number of cell phones it can handle at once. The cells are therefore sized
depending on the expected usage density, and may be much smaller in cities. In that case
much lower transmitter powers are used to avoid broadcasting beyond the cell.
In order to handle the high traffic, multiple towers can be set up in the same area (using different
frequencies). This can be done permanently or temporarily such as at special events like at the
Super Bowl, Taste of Chicago, State Fair, NYC New Year's Eve, hurricane hit cities, etc. where
cell phone companies will bring a truck with equipment to host the abnormally high traffic with a
portable cell.
Cellular can greatly increase the capacity of simultaneous wireless phone calls. While a phone
company for example, has a license to 1,000 frequencies, each cell must use unique
frequencies with each call using one of them when communicating. Because cells only slightly
overlap, the same frequency can be reused. Example cell one uses frequency 1–500, next door
cell uses frequency 501–1,000, next door can reuse frequency 1–500. Cells one and three are
not "touching" and do not overlap/communicate so each can reuse the same frequencies.[citation
needed]

This is even more greatly increased when phone companies implemented digital networks. With
digital, one frequency can host multiple simultaneous calls increasing capacity even more.
As a phone moves around, a phone will "hand off" - automatically disconnect and reconnect to
the tower of another cell that gives the best reception.
Additionally, short-range Wi-Fi infrastructure is often used by smartphones as much as possible
as it offloads traffic from cell networks on to local area networks.

Hardware
Main article: Mobile phone features
The common components found on all mobile phones are:

 A central processing unit (CPU), the processor of phones. The CPU is

a microprocessor fabricated on a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC)
chip.
 A battery, providing the power source for the phone functions. A modern handset
typically uses a lithium-ion battery (LIB), whereas older handsets used nickel–metal
hydride (Ni–MH) batteries.
 An input mechanism to allow the user to interact with the phone. These are a keypad for
feature phones, and touch screens for most smartphones (typically with capacitive sensing).
 A display which echoes the user's typing, and displays text messages, contacts, and
more. The display is typically either a liquid-crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting
diode (OLED) display.
 Speakers for sound.
 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and Removable User Identity Module (R-UIM)
cards.
 A hardware notification LED on some phones
Low-end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones and offer basic telephony.
Handsets with more advanced computing ability through the use of native software applications
are known as smartphones.

Central processing unit

Mobile phones have central processing units (CPUs), similar to those in computers, but
optimised to operate in low power environments.
Mobile CPU performance depends not only on the clock rate (generally given in multiples
of hertz)[21] but also the memory hierarchy also greatly affects overall performance. Because of
these problems, the performance of mobile phone CPUs is often more appropriately given by
scores derived from various standardized tests to measure the real effective performance in
commonly used applications.

Display
Main article: Display device
One of the main characteristics of phones is the screen. Depending on the device's type and
design, the screen fills most or nearly all of the space on a device's front surface. Many
smartphone displays have an aspect ratio of 16:9, but taller aspect ratios became more
common in 2017.
Screen sizes are often measured in diagonal inches or millimeters; feature phones generally
have screen sizes below 90 millimetres (3.5 in). Phones with screens larger than 130
millimetres (5.2 in) are often called "phablets." Smartphones with screens over 115 millimetres
(4.5 in) in size are commonly difficult to use with only a single hand, since most thumbs cannot
reach the entire screen surface; they may need to be shifted around in the hand, held in one
hand and manipulated by the other, or used in place with both hands. Due to design advances,
some modern smartphones with large screen sizes and "edge-to-edge" designs have compact
builds that improve their ergonomics, while the shift to taller aspect ratios have resulted in
phones that have larger screen sizes whilst maintaining the ergonomics associated with smaller
16:9 displays.[22][23][24]
Liquid-crystal displays are the most common; others are IPS, LED, OLED,
and AMOLED displays. Some displays are integrated with pressure-sensitive digitizers, such as
those developed by Wacom and Samsung,[25] and Apple's "3D Touch" system.

Sound
In sound, smartphones and feature phones vary little. Some audio-quality enhancing features,
such as Voice over LTE and HD Voice, have appeared and are often available on newer
smartphones. Sound quality can remain a problem due to the design of the phone, the quality of
the cellular network and compression algorithms used in long-distance calls.[26][27] Audio quality
can be improved using a VoIP application over WiFi.[28] Cellphones have small speakers so that
the user can use a speakerphone feature and talk to a person on the phone without holding it to
their ear. The small speakers can also be used to listen to digital audio files of music or speech
or watch videos with an audio component, without holding the phone close to the ear.
Battery
The average phone battery lasts 2–3 years at best. Many of the wireless devices use a Lithium-
Ion (Li-Ion) battery, which charges 500–2500 times, depending on how users take care of the
battery and the charging techniques used.[29] It is only natural for these rechargeable batteries to
chemically age, which is why the performance of the battery when used for a year or two will
begin to deteriorate. Battery life can be extended by draining it regularly, not overcharging it,
and keeping it away from heat.[30][31]

SIM card
Main articles: Subscriber Identity Module and Removable User Identity Module
Typical mobile phone mini-SIM card

Mobile phones require a small microchip called a Subscriber Identity Module or SIM card, in

order to function. The SIM card is approximately the size of a small postage stamp and is
usually placed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit. The SIM securely stores
the service-subscriber key (IMSI) and the Ki used to identify and authenticate the user of the
mobile phone. The SIM card allows users to change phones by simply removing the SIM card
from one mobile phone and inserting it into another mobile phone or broadband telephony
device, provided that this is not prevented by a SIM lock. The first SIM card was made in 1991
by Munich smart card maker Giesecke & Devrient for the Finnish wireless network
operator Radiolinja.[citation needed]
A hybrid mobile phone can hold up to four SIM cards, with a phone having a different device
identifier for each SIM Card. SIM and R-UIM cards may be mixed together to allow
both GSM and CDMA networks to be accessed. From 2010 onwards, such phones became
popular in emerging markets,[32] and this was attributed to the desire to obtain the lowest calling
costs.
When the removal of a SIM card is detected by the operating system, it may deny further
operation until a reboot.[33]

Software
Software platforms

Android smartphones

Main article: Mobile operating system

 This section needs expansion.
You can help by adding to
it. (October 2018)

Feature phones have basic software platforms. Smartphones have advanced software
platforms. Android OS has been the best-selling OS worldwide on smartphones since 2011.

Mobile app
Main article: Mobile app
A mobile app is a computer program designed to run on a mobile device, such as a
smartphone. The term "app" is a shortening of the term "software application".
Messaging
See also: SMS and MMS

A text message (SMS)

A common data application on mobile phones is Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging.
The first SMS message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK while
the first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993. The
first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000,[34] and
subsequently many organizations provided "on-demand" and "instant" news services by
SMS. Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) was introduced in March 2002.[35]

Application stores
Main article: List of digital distribution platforms for mobile devices
The introduction of Apple's App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch in July 2008 popularized
manufacturer-hosted online distribution for third-party applications (software and computer
programs) focused on a single platform. There are a huge variety of apps, including video
games, music products and business tools. Up until that point, smartphone application
distribution depended on third-party sources providing applications for multiple platforms, such
as GetJar, Handango, Handmark, and PocketGear. Following the success of the App Store,
other smartphone manufacturers launched application stores, such as Google's Android Market
(later renamed to the Google Play Store), RIM's BlackBerry App World, or Android-related app
stores like Aptoide, Cafe Bazaar, F-Droid, GetJar, and Opera Mobile Store. In February 2014,
93% of mobile developers were targeting smartphones first for mobile app development.[36]

Sales
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to
reflect recent events or newly available information.
 Last update: Statistics until mid 2018 is needed for some parts of this
section. (August 2018)

By manufacturer
See also: List of best-selling mobile phones and List of mobile phone makers by country
Market share of top-five worldwide mobile phone vendors, Q2 2016

Strategy
Rank Manufacturer Analytics
report[37]

1 Samsung 22.3%

2 Apple 12.9%

3 Huawei 8.9%

4 Oppo 5.4%

5 Xiaomi 4.5%

Others 46.0%

Note: Vendor shipments are

branded shipments and exclude
OEM sales for all vendors.

From 1983 to 1998, Motorola was market leader in mobile phones. Nokia was the market leader
in mobile phones from 1998 to 2012.[38] In Q1 2012, Samsung surpassed Nokia, selling 93.5
million units as against Nokia's 82.7 million units. Samsung has retained its top position since
then. In 2017, the top five manufacturers worldwide were Samsung (20.9%), Apple (14.0%),
Huawei (9.8%), Oppo (5.7%), and Vivo (6.5%).[39] During Q2 2018, Huawei overtook Apple as
the world's second-largest phone manufacturer.[40]

By mobile phone operator

Main article: Mobile phone operator

Growth in mobile phone subscribers per country from 1980 to 2009

The world's largest individual mobile operator by number of subscribers is China Mobile, which
has over 902 million mobile phone subscribers as of June 2018.[41] Over 50 mobile operators
have over ten million subscribers each, and over 150 mobile operators had at least one million
subscribers by the end of 2009.[42] In 2014, there were more than seven billion mobile phone
subscribers worldwide, a number that is expected to keep growing.

Use
See also: Smartphone §  Use

Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants. 2014 figure is estimated.

Mobile phones are used for a variety of purposes, such as keeping in touch with family
members, for conducting business, and in order to have access to a telephone in the event of
an emergency. Some people carry more than one mobile phone for different purposes, such as
for business and personal use. Multiple SIM cards may be used to take advantage of the
benefits of different calling plans. For example, a particular plan might provide for cheaper local
calls, long-distance calls, international calls, or roaming.
The mobile phone has been used in a variety of diverse contexts in society. For example:

 A study by Motorola found that one in ten mobile phone subscribers have a second
phone that is often kept secret from other family members. These phones may be used to
engage in such activities as extramarital affairs or clandestine business dealings.[43]
 Some organizations assist victims of domestic violence by providing mobile phones for
use in emergencies. These are often refurbished phones.[44]
 The advent of widespread text-messaging has resulted in the cell phone novel, the first
literary genre to emerge from the cellular age, via text messaging to a website that collects
the novels as a whole.[45]
 Mobile telephony also facilitates activism and citizen journalism.
 The United Nations reported that mobile phones have spread faster than any other form
of technology and can improve the livelihood of the poorest people in developing countries,
by providing access to information in places where landlines or the Internet are not
available, especially in the least developed countries. Use of mobile phones also spawns a
wealth of micro-enterprises, by providing such work as selling airtime on the streets and
repairing or refurbishing handsets.[46]
 In Mali and other African countries, people used to travel from village to village to let
friends and relatives know about weddings, births, and other events. This can now be
avoided in areas with mobile phone coverage, which are usually more extensive than areas
with just land-line penetration.
 The TV industry has recently started using mobile phones to drive live TV viewing
through mobile apps, advertising, social TV, and mobile TV.[47] It is estimated that 86% of
Americans use their mobile phone while watching TV.
 In some parts of the world, mobile phone sharing is common. Cell phone sharing is
prevalent in urban India, as families and groups of friends often share one or more mobile
 phones among their members. There are obvious economic benefits, but often familial
customs and traditional gender roles play a part.[48] It is common for a village to have access
to only one mobile phone, perhaps owned by a teacher or missionary, which is available to
all members of the village for necessary calls.[49]
Content distribution
In 1998, one of the first examples of distributing and selling media content through the mobile
phone was the sale of ringtones by Radiolinja in Finland. Soon afterwards, other media content
appeared, such as news, video games, jokes, horoscopes, TV content and advertising. Most
early content for mobile phones tended to be copies of legacy media, such as banner
advertisements or TV news highlight video clips. Recently, unique content for mobile phones
has been emerging, from ringtones and ringback tones to mobisodes, video content that has
been produced exclusively for mobile phones.