First Mobile Phone Company in the World

The first mobile phone company in the world is Motorola that made the world’s first commercial handheld cellular phone which was the Motorola DynaTAC (DYNamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage). Having received approval on September 21, 1983 from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, this 794-gram (28-ounce) phone was available to consumers in 1984.

1983: First Mobile Phone by Motorola

Motorola made history as the first mobile phone company in the world in September 1983 when the DynaTAC 8000X phone earned FCC’s approval as the world’s first commercial portable cellular phone. Also check out: World’s First Mobile Phone with Camera

History: Paul V. Galvin and his brother Joseph had incorporated the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, Motorola’s founding company, on September 25, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Since that period, Motorola has committed itself to innovation in electronics and communications. The company has reached a number of milestones in its rich history of more than 85 years. It pioneered in mobile communications with public safety networks and car radios in the 1930s. It manufactured the equipment that carried the first ever words from moon in 1969.

Before 1973, mobile telephony was only limited to calling devices installed in various vehicles, Motorola being the first company to make a handheld mobile phone. A Motorola executive and researcher named Martin Cooper made the first ever mobile telephone call when he placed a call from a handheld subscriber equipment to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs (AT&T).

1973: World’s First Handheld Cellular Demonstration

Motorola, on Apr 3, 1973, made the first public demonstration of the world’s first handheld cell phone and system. The preliminary calls using the Motorola DynaTAC technology took place in the city of New York. Since the 1960s, the engineers working with Motorola were busy testing with radio exchanges in the 800 and 900 MegaHertz bands.

The prototype portable phone that Dr. Cooper used weighed 1.1 kg and had dimensions of 23 cm x 13 cm x 4.45 cm. Taking 10 hours to recharge, the prototype offered a talk-time of only 30 minutes.

John F. Mitchell, Cooper’s boss in 1973 and Motorola’s chief of handheld communication products, played a vital role in progressing the development of portable mobile telephone equipments.

1973 to 1983: Developing the Handheld Cellular System – Making History

In the world of communications, “Motorola” is the brand that means “innovation”. Years of priceless experience in engineering handheld two-way radio systems resulted in Motorola’s pioneering vision of portable, personal communications. The outcome was revolutionary – The world’s first ever commercial handheld cell phone in 1983! The DynaTAC 8000X phone and the cellular system working behind it completely changed the meaning of communication.

After more than a decade and an investment of US$100 million, Motorola’s commitment yielded an innovative handheld technology that dynamically revolutionized the communications industry and altered the lives of people throughout the world.

Motorola’s introduction of the first commercial portable cellular phone and system and handheld scanner had firmly set the standard for the industry. As an international industry leader, excellent innovation continues to mould the future of the Motorola brand known as the first mobile phone company in the world.