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First trans-Alantic telegraph
The first trans-Atlantic telegraph is built (not much to do with cell phones, but a major advancement in communication nonetheless) -
first pravite home phone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. The following year, the first private telephone was installed in the home of Charles Williams of Somerville, Massachusetts. By the end of 1880, 47,900 telephones were in use in the United States. -
11 -mile wirreless telephone.
Reginald Fessenden successfully completed an 11-mile wireless telephone call from his laboratory in Brant Rock, Massachusetts. -
Radio Act
The Radio Act was the first domestic legislation to address radio spectrum allocation. -
Dertroit Michigan Begins
The Police Department in Detroit, Mich. begins installing mobile radios, operating around 2 MHz, in their squad cars. They encounter many problems such as overcrowding on the channels and terrible interference. -
Personal Gain
By now, the mobile radios are able to operate at 30 to 40 MHz and become much more common between police departments, and the wealthy. Several private companies and organizations begin using these same radios for personal gain. -
Motorola
Motorola two-way radio installed in a police cruiser. -
Massive Interference
The first mobile-radio-telephone service is established in St. Louis, Miss. The system is comprised of six channels that add up to 150 MHz. The project is approved by the FCC, but due to massive interference, the equipment barely works. -
A New Operating System
A new operating system is developed that operates on a single channel at 150 MHz. In essence, this removes the need for push-to-talk operators. Now customers can dial phone numbers directly from their cars. -
Self-Dialing
The self-dialing capability is now upgraded to 450 MHz and becomes standard in the United States. -
First Personal Handset
Dr. Martin Cooper invents the first personal handset while working for Motorola. He takes his new invention, the Motorola Dyna-Tac., to New York City and shows it to the public. His is credited with being the first person to make a call on a portable mobile-phone. -
Cellular Idea
The FCC actually starts to encourage cell phone companies to push forward the “cellular idea”. -
AT&T
AT&T adapts its own cellular plan for the city of Chicago, but the FCC is still uneasy about putting the plan into action. They have concerns about its success -
Cell Phone Testing
Finally cell phone testing is permitted by the FCC in Chicago. The Bell Telephone Company gets the license; they are in a partnership with AT&T which is a general effort to battle the stubborn FCC. -
Cellular Markets
The FCC switched to a lottery system to license cellular markets. At the urging of industry, the FCC allocates an additional 10 MHz of spectrum for cellular telecommunications. Cellular subscribership tops 2 million. -
One of the biggest contributions
One of the most important years in cell phone evolution. The Cellular Technology Industry Association is created and helps to make the industry into an empire. One of its biggest contributions is when it helped create TDMA phone technology, the most evolved cell phone yet. It becomes available to the public in 1991. -
Congress Passes
Congress passes Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act. -
Wireless Subscribership
Wireless subscribership in America exceeds 100 million. -
Bell South
BellSouth announces that it is leaving the pay phone business because there is too much competition from cell phones. -
I-Phone
The I-phone was sold to the public. -
communcicating through the earth atmosphere
A Virginia Dentist/Scientist, Dr. Mahlon Loomis, develops a method of communicating through the earth’s atmosphere by using an electrical conductor. He does this by flying two kites, that are rigged with copper screens and wires, which are connected to the ground on two separate mountains about 18 miles apart.
