Mobile communication technology has grown over the years from the first generation to the second, third and now fourth. Newer technology brought in various features, better call quality and much more. Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications celebrated twenty years of service from the first call ever made a few days ago.
According to Nokia Conversations, the call was initiated between Finland’s former Prime Minister, Harri Holkeri, and the mayor of Tampere, Kaarina Suonio. The network which provided service was jointly developed by Telenokia and Siemens. Timo Ali-Vehmas, Vice President of compatibility and industry collaboration, who was present at the time of the conversation, was able to recall the talk between the Prime Minister and Mayor.
Timo Ali-Vehmas said “A sunny day in the Esplanade Park in downtown Helsinki, pretty much like we have today. There were many people there, who were looking around and wondering what is going on. Several trucks and buses and few black limos were parked there on the lawn and on the walkways. There were also many busy young men and women running back and forth with some worried faces. You could see they were thinking: we are about to do something that nobody had done before. But does it work? Of course it did work. The faces of the people looked different now in Helsinki, in Tampere where the action took place but also in Salo, Oulu and Espoo where the work behind the scenes was mainly done”.
The main topic of the call was on how well the new technology performed and provided much clear quality than the previously used analog phones. The introduction of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards made it easier for users to switch between networks on the same handset.
The first generation of GSM technology laid down the foundation which has now grown into EDGE, HSDPA and the upcoming LTE 4G.