From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the modern mobile phone, see Smartphone.
"Cell Phone" and "Handphone" redirect here. For the films, see Cell
Phone (film) and Handphone (film).
Two decades of evolution of mobile
phones, from a 1992 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to the 2014 iPhone 6 Plus
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable wireless telephone that allows users to
make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated
telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones (landline phones). This radio
frequency link connects to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, providing
access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephony
relies on a cellular network architecture, which is why mobile phones are often referred
to as 'cell phones' in North America.
Beyond traditional voice communication, digital mobile phones have evolved to support
a wide range of additional services. These include text messaging, multimedia
messaging, email, and internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), as well as short-
range wireless technologies like Bluetooth, infrared, and ultra-wideband (UWB).
Mobile phones also support a variety of multimedia capabilities, such as digital
photography, video recording, and gaming. In addition, they enable multimedia playback
and streaming, including video content, as well as radio and television streaming.
Furthermore, mobile phones offer satellite-based services, such
as navigation and messaging, as well as business applications and payment
solutions (via scanning QR codes or near-field communication (NFC)). Mobile phones
offering only basic features are often referred to as feature
phones (slang: dumbphones), while those with advanced computing power are known
as smartphones.[1]
The first handheld mobile phone was demonstrated by Martin
Cooper of Motorola in New York City on 3 April 1973, using a handset weighing c.
2 kilograms (4.4 lbs).[2] In 1979, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the
world's first cellular network in Japan.[3] In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first
commercially available handheld mobile phone. From 1993 to 2024, worldwide mobile
phone subscriptions grew to over 9.1 billion; enough to provide one for every person on
Earth.[4][5] In 2024, the top smartphone manufacturers worldwide
were Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi; smartphone sales represented about 50 percent of
total mobile phone sales.[6][7] For feature phones as of 2016, the top-selling brands were
Samsung, Nokia and Alcatel.[8]
Mobile phones are considered an important human invention as they have been one of
the most widely used and sold pieces of consumer technology.[9] The growth in
popularity has been rapid in some places; for example, in the UK, the total number of
mobile phones overtook the number of houses in 1999.[10] Today, mobile phones are
globally ubiquitous,[11] and in almost half the world's countries, over 90% of the
population owns at least one.[12]
Name
"Mobile phone" is the most common English language term, while the term "cell phone"
is in more common use in North America[13] – both are in essence shorter versions of
"mobile telephone" and "cellular telephone", respectively. Often in colloquial terms it is
referred to as simply phone, mobile or cell. A number of alternative words have also
been used to describe a mobile phone, most of which have fallen out of use, including:
"mobile handset", "wireless phone", "mobile terminal", "cellular device", "hand phone",
and "pocket phone".
History
Main article: History of mobile phones
See also: List of wireless network technologies
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 a few simultaneous
calls, and were very expensive.
The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first
commercially available handheld cellular mobile phone.
Mobile phone technology has progressed significantly since its origins, evolving from
large car-mounted systems to compact, handheld devices.[14][15] Early mobile phones
required vehicle installation due to their size and power needs.[16][17] A major
breakthrough came in 1973, when the first handheld cellular mobile phone was
demonstrated by John F. Mitchell[18][19] and Martin Cooper of Motorola, using a handset
weighing 2 kilograms (4.4 lb).[2][20][21] Cooper made the first ever call on a cell phone when
he called Joel S. Engel, a rival of his who worked for AT&T, saying, "I'm calling you on a
cell phone, but a real cell phone, a personal, handheld, portable cell phone." [22]
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.[23] 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.
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 that
agreed to launch a commercial service by 1991. The first version of the GSM standard
had 6,000 pages. The IEEE and RSE awarded Thomas Haug and Philippe Dupuis the
2018 James Clerk Maxwell medal for their contributions to the first digital mobile
telephone standard.[24] 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 standardization 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). In addition to transmitting voice over digital
signals, the 2G network introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text
messages, then expanding to Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and mobile
internet with a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 384 kbit/s (48 kB/s).
Dupuis and Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium,
April 1992 Personal Handy-phone System mobiles
and modems, 1997–2003
In 2001, the third-generation (3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on
the WCDMA standard.[25] This was followed by 3.5G or 3G+ enhancements based on
the high-speed packet access (HSPA) family, allowing UMTS networks to have higher
data transfer speeds and capacity. 3G is able to provide mobile broadband access of
several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. This ensures it
can be applied to mobile Internet access, VoIP, video calls, and sending large e-mail
messages, as well as watching videos, typically in standard-definition quality.
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.
[26]
Consequently, the industry began looking to data-optimized fourth-generation (4G)
technologies, with the promise of speed improvements up to tenfold over existing 3G
technologies. The first publicly available LTE service was launched in Scandinavia
by TeliaSonera in 2009. In the 2010s, 4G technology has found diverse applications
across various sectors, showcasing its versatility in delivering high-speed wireless
communication, such as mobile broadband, the internet of things (IoT), fixed wireless
access, and multimedia streaming (including music, video, radio, and television).
Deployment of fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks commenced worldwide in 2019.
The term "5G" was originally used in research papers and projects to denote the next
major phase in mobile telecommunication standards beyond the 4G/IMT-
Advanced standards. The 3GPP defines 5G as any system that adheres to the 5G
NR (5G New Radio) standard. 5G can be implemented in low-band, mid-band or high-
band millimeter-wave, with download speeds that can achieve gigabit-per-
second (Gbit/s) range, aiming for a network latency of 1 ms. This near-real-time
responsiveness and improved overall data performance are crucial for applications
like online gaming, augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and critical
communication services.
Types
Active mobile broadband
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants [27]
Smartphone
Main article: Smartphone
Smartphones are defined by their advanced computing capabilities, which include
internet connectivity and access to a wide range of applications. The International
Telecommunication Union measures those with Internet connection, which it calls Active
Mobile-Broadband subscriptions (which includes tablets, etc.). In developed countries,
smartphones have largely replaced earlier mobile technologies, while in developing
regions, they account for around 50% of all mobile phone usage.
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.
[28][29]
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 Wi-Fi
Cellular networks work by only reusing radio
frequencies (in this example frequencies f1–f4) in non adjacent cells to avoid
interference
The critical advantage that modern cellular networks have over predecessor systems is
the concept of frequency reuse allowing many simultaneous telephone conversations in
a given service area. This allows efficient use of the limited radio spectrum allocated to
mobile services, and lets thousands of subscribers converse at the same time within a
given geographic area.
Former systems would cover a service area with one or two powerful base stations with
a range of up to tens of kilometers' (miles), using only a few sets of radio channels
(frequencies). Once these few channels were in use by customers, no further customers
could be served until another user vacated a channel. It would be impractical to give
every customer a unique channel since there would not be enough bandwidth allocated
to the mobile service. As well, technical limitations such as antenna efficiency and
receiver design limit the range of frequencies a customer unit could use.
A cellular network mobile phone system gets its name from dividing the service area
into many small cells, each with a base station with (for example) a useful range on the
order of a kilometer (mile). These systems have dozens or hundreds of possible
channels allocated to them. When a subscriber is using a given channel for a telephone
connection, that frequency is unavailable for other customers in the local cell and in the
adjacent cells. However, cells further away can re-use that channel without interference
as the subscriber's handset is too far away to be detected. The transmitter power of
each base station is coordinated to efficiently service its own cell, but not to interfere
with the cells further away.
Automation embedded in the customer's handset and in the base stations control all
phases of the call, from detecting the presence of a handset in a service area,
temporary assignment of a channel to a handset making a call, interface with the land-
line side of the network to connect to other subscribers, and collection of billing
information for the service. The automation systems can control the "hand off" of a
customer handset moving between one cell and another so that a call in progress
continues without interruption, changing channels if required. In the earliest mobile
phone systems by contrast, all control was done manually; the customer would search
for an unoccupied channel and speak to a mobile operator to request connection of a
call to a landline number or another mobile. At the termination of the call the mobile
operator would manually record the billing information.
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 or in disasters. Cell phone companies will bring a truck with equipment to host
the abnormally high traffic.
Capacity was further increased when phone companies implemented digital networks.
With digital, one frequency can host multiple simultaneous calls.
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. The first GSM phones and many
feature phones had NOR flash memory, from which processor instructions could be
executed directly in an execute in place architecture and allowed for short boot times.
With smartphones, NAND flash memory was adopted as it has larger storage capacities
and lower costs, but causes longer boot times because instructions cannot be executed
from it directly, and must be copied to RAM memory first before execution.[30]
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)[31] 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.[32][33][34]
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,[35] 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.[36][37] Audio quality can be improved using a VoIP application over WiFi.
[38]
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 typical lifespan of a mobile phone battery is approximately two to three years,
although this varies based on usage patterns, environmental conditions, and overall
care. Most modern mobile phones use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, which are designed
to endure between 500 and 2,500 charge cycles. The exact number of cycles depends
on factors such as charging habits, operating temperature, and battery management
systems.[39]
Li-ion batteries gradually degrade over time due to chemical aging, leading to reduced
capacity and performance, often noticeable after one or two years of regular use. Unlike
older battery types, such as nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH), Li-ion batteries do not need to
be fully discharged to maintain their longevity. In fact, they perform best when kept
between 30% and 80% of their full charge.[40] While practices such as avoiding
excessive heat and minimizing overcharging can help preserve battery health, many
modern devices include built-in safeguards.[41] These safeguards, typically managed by
the phone's internal battery management system (BMS), prevent overcharging by
cutting off power once the battery reaches full capacity. Additionally, most contemporary
chargers and devices are designed to regulate charging to minimize stress on the
battery. Therefore, while good charging habits can positively impact battery longevity,
most users benefit from these integrated protections, making battery maintenance less
of a concern in day-to-day use.[42][43]
Future mobile phone batteries are expected to utilize advanced technologies such
as silicon-carbon (Si/C) batteries and solid-state batteries, which promise to offer higher
energy densities, longer lifespans, and improved safety compared to current lithium-ion
batteries.[44][45][46]
SIM card
Main articles: SIM card 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,[47] 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.[48]
Software
Software platforms
Android smartphones
Main article: Mobile operating system
This section needs
expansion. You can help
by making an edit
request. (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.[49] As of March 2025, Android OS had 71.9% of the overall market share, while the
second-largest, iOS, had 27.7%.[50]
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,[51] and subsequently many organizations provided "on-demand" and
"instant" news services by SMS. Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) was introduced
in March 2002.[52]
Application stores
Main article: List of mobile app distribution platforms
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.[53]
