Written by: Eric Peterson
Happy 50th!
This year, mobile telephony turns 50, giving us reason to pause and reflect on the many great strides made in the industry since 1956. According to Wireless Intelligence, as reported on www.gsmworld.com, there are currently more than two billion global GSM and 3G mobile connections, and 1000 new connections are being added every minute. This means there will be 1,440,000 new connections today and more than 500 million new connections this year! At this rate, it should take only two years until there are three billion mobile connections. Although I work in the industry, I confess I cannot fully appreciate the magnitude or ramifications of such phenomenal growth. I am confident, however, that the impact of mobile telephony will be far-reaching. Therefore, don’t be too surprised if, like me, you discover that mobile phones have changed the world – sometimes in unexpected ways!
Last June, for example, my wife and I spent a week vacationing in Oregon (USA). To get there, we flew from Stockholm to Chicago, and then on to Portland. During our layover in Chicago, I observed how a large number of motorists had lined up on the side of the road a few hundred meters beyond the airport terminals. While searching for an explanation, I caught glimpse of a sign that identified a cell phone parking area. We have by now all seen and heard of countless examples of the social impact of mobile phones, but this was the most blatant example I have yet seen of how mobile phone usage has affected physical infrastructure – the very way in which we plan roads and parking, for instance.
Looking back
This issue of Ericsson Review features an article that describes the evolution of mobile telephony since 1956, the year in which Ericsson introduced the world’s first automatic mobile telephone system. Besides this first system, Ericsson has also been first to market with, among other things, the first truly mobile system (NMT, 1981), digital mobile telephony (GSM, 1991), WCDMA, and HSPA.
History in the making
For an update on history in the making at the cutting edge of mobile broadband be sure to read HSDPA performance and evaluation, which provides fresh measurements taken from live, commercial HSDPA networks.
Taking you forward
Finally, follow along as Ericsson sheds some light on the path ahead in Highly efficient power amplifiers, New high-quality voice service for mobile networks, Evolving the TV experience, and Realizing real-time charging.
Eric Peterson
Editor, Ericsson Review
