Dr Mike Short CBE, has four decades of experience in electronics and telecommunications, holding senior executive positions with Cellnet, O2 and Telefonica and is a former Chairman of the Global GSM Association, the UK Mobile Data Association and president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Here he offers a background to how mobile phones have surpassed the landline telephone and why.
It’s been 40 years since the UK launched its cellular mobile services (a year earlier in the US). And now, according to latest global statistics shared at this year’s Mobile World Congress 25(MWC 25) in Barcelona, there are 5.8 billion unique mobile phone subscriptions. This amounts to 71% global adoption, and more than any other consumer electronics item on the planet.
Four in five of these subscriptions are smartphones, and despite growing phone recycling many phones are still beyond the reach of the poorest in society. In the richer parts of the world there are multiple phones per user, including personal, work and car phones, all with separate subscriptions take us beyond the ‘unique subscriber’.
And connected things such as cars or meters or IoT (Internet of things) are usually counted separately and are projected to exceed 15 billion by the end of 2025 and I think a lot more needs to be done to champion global digital inclusion.
So, how and why did the mobile phone overtake the humble telephone?
Top 10 mobile phone attributes:
1. Mobility
From the early trials in the late 1970s and ‘80s, it was always envisaged that mobile phones would offer mobility that was less tied to a location, and this evolved from car telephones to transportables and from personal devices to wearables (eg smart watches). It has also changed with cellular coverage and the evolution from voice to data services, with the addition of international roaming opening new markets. Technologies such as Bluetooth, Wifi and Satellites continued to show evolution in coverage indoors, rural and remote areas, and increasingly above the ground. Many objects or things such as sensors, meters and cars can now be connected and access to the Internet opened up many services for business and consumers.
2. Memory and storage
The early mobiles had little or no memory and you called a number not a home or a person. Mobile numbering became more significant and associated with an individual as opposed to a shared home telephone. It became ever more personal. The need for an address book inside the mobile phone grew. The evolution towards contacts and calendar added further value. The ability to add messages and photos came much later but device memory was a key enabler well before connected storage and cloud technology.
3. Working devices
Work tools have always been a business driver of demand and mobiles were no different. The ability to communicate, alert, rescue, meet, find, source and connect were all early imperatives for efficiency and the ability to work away from base. The portability of computing came later, but the release from the home or office telephone added efficiency and new ways of working. The addition of data and visual communications only added more functionality. Integrated calculators and mobile email extended functionality as the network capability/quality and mobile coverage all improved. Calculators were added followed by GPS and many more Business applications. Connected things (or M2M) evolved with the internet to the Internet of things (IoT)
4. Messaging
Messaging was a huge revolution for mobile phones, starting with network-based voice mail when engaged or out of coverage. This was soon followed by text messaging or SMS, and then later by email, mobile internet and social media. Abbreviations and emoticons all played their part in the functionality.
5. Camera and screen displays
Cameras and screens were not part of the early mobiles phones but gradually small screens were introduced in black and white and low pixel counts. It is hard to imagine social media’s rise without mobile phone cameras and screens. The first integrated cameras were launched 25 years ago and have come a long way since. They would not have been successful without growing screen sizes, improved battery life and perhaps selfie sticks. Telephones were left behind by such advances and the added utility in personal devices. The increased storage has given many smartphones their personal albums of screensavers, pictures, videos, and music, offering many magical memories. This was further enhanced with the arrival of Bluetooth connectivity for better accessories and remote loudspeakers.
6. Entertainment
Entertainment started with personal ringtones and music, as well as on screen games. The arrival of the mobile internet offered a much wider range of services and downloads, before today`s streaming services arrived, adding to the online entertainment and wider social media. In many parts of the world films, catch up TV and Sports can all be followed, in some cases live or in near real time. New business models have opened with advertising, sponsorship and interactivity via messaging. Mixed reality is also being used in business training and some forms of entertainment
7. News
News is being consumed ever more on mobiles phones. This is much more mobile internet and alert based rather than linear television. It helps in disaster relief and emergencies. It may also be coupled with camera phone and FaceTime use for news capture and sharing via social media, long after it was first termed citizen journalism.
8. Information and learning
Information and learning have also been enhanced through the mobile internet. Search is often more than asking questions as it is about raised understanding and context. Mapping services have moved significantly beyond basic navigation and location finding. Alexa and Siri have both helped, but AI and Chat GPT are expected to extend mobile phone learning capabilities. This is more than learning as part of our education as it will help us improve understanding throughout life.
9. Payment and transactions
Payment and eCommerce have all extended the use of mobile phones with the addition of mobile wallets/NFC and authenticated payment services. We do not yet have a cashless society but with mobile phones we are well under way. The global GSM Association SOTIR report this spring highlighted that mobile phone transactions, including money transfers and international remittances, exceeded $1.7 trillion (£1.27tr) in 2024, with more than two billion registered mobile money accounts – following 23 years’ growth – with the second billion being accumulated in the past five years. E-commerce through mobile phones is expected to grow as the wider access to smartphones and services continue.
10. Measurement
Measurement is also expected to grow. This is often called IoT as it involves connected things and sensors. This can be anything from smart meters, connected cars, environmental sensing, agritech and digital health. It will often blend AI with IoT connectivity but relies heavily on data collection, security and trust, and of course data analytics. Some of our biggest challenges such as net zero, health and pollution monitoring will be served by IoT. All the UN SDGs already rely heavily on mobile phones to help but a lot more needs to be done.
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