Did you remember to send a card, or a least a text message? If not, you really should have, because it was 20 years ago last weekend that the mobile phone was really born. On September 7,1987, 15 phone companies came together and agreed to build mobile phone networks that were based on the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM. Since then the use of the mobile phonehas grown beyond any expectation, with more than two-and-a-half billion accounts globally. In some parts of the world, such as Africa, where landline communications are difficult, if not impossible,mobiles have become the primary form of communication. The Nokia 1100 is the world’s best-selling handset. “There’s no doubt that at the time ofthe agreement in 1987 no one had an idea of the explosive capabilities in terms of growth that would happen after the GSM standard was agreed,” said Robert Conway, head of the GSM Association. It took 12 years to accumulate the first billion accounts. The second billion was added in just another 30 months. In some places thatgrowth is staggering. Figures for the UK show over 116 mobile connections for every 100 people, meaning a number have multiple accounts. So where will mobile technology be when the mobilecelebrates the big 4-0? That’s anyone’s guess, really. But Conway thinks the handsets themselves will alter radically. “You’ll pull them out of your pocket and they’ll looklike a map but unfold like a screen," he speculated. "We’re now on the verge of another wave and that’s going to be stimulated by mobile broadband."
