We are in a celebrating mood as we have just realised it’s 35 years since the first ever 1G mobile phone call was made in the UK. On the 2nd January 1985 Vodafone’s founder and chairman Michael Harrison made the first mobile telephone call from London’s Parliament Square. Given how important this call was, who do you think he rang and what did he say? Perhaps he had a list of dignitaries, politicians or even royalty who should receive the first call. Or would he have phoned his closest UK competitor to let them know he beat them to it? In the end, it’s nobody that exciting: Mr Harrison decided to phone his Dad and said “Happy New Year dad, it’s Mike here. This is the first call ever made on a UK cellular network.”
Is that suitable for a historic moment?
It did start a revolution though with Vodafone launching onto the market its first Vodafone Transportable VT1 device. As you’d imagine it was a far cry from what we are used to today, costing £2000 and weighing in at 5kgs. The hefty weight was due to the large battery needed to power it which was similar in size to a modern car battery. Even this only afforded 30 minutes of talk time and so were normally placed in executive cars where their bulk was far less noticeable.
The 1G network was, as you’d imagine, slightly limiting too. Users had to put up with poor sound quality, poor coverage, inefficient use of spectrum, low capacity and incompatibility with other 1G networks – international coverage was seen as an afterthought.
However, this new technology grew at an amazing rate and 2G was launched in the early 1990s that is still used as the base today alongside 3, 4 and 5G. 2G remains popular due to its good coverage, low power profile and affordability.
At Cell Tech we are happy to look at all phones from all providers and offer our expert advice and help to overcome any issues you have. From poor battery life to cracked screens, simply call in to our Knutsford or Stockton Heath shops for independent advice that will get you back up and running in no time.