Mobile phone

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Mobile phone

Mobile phone from 2008

Inventor Martin Cooper

Launch year 1973

Company Motorola

Available? Worldwide

A mobile phone (also called mobile, cellular phone, cell phone or handphone)[1] is an
electronic device used for full duplex two-way radio telecommunications over a cellular network
of base stations known as cell sites. Mobile phones differ from cordless telephones, which only
offer telephone service within limited range through a single base station attached to a fixed land
line, for example within a home or an office.

A mobile phone allows its user to make and receive telephone calls to and from the public
telephone network which includes other mobiles and fixed line phones across the world. It does
this by connecting to a cellular network owned by a mobile network operator. A key feature of
the cellular network is that it enables seamless telephone calls even when the user is moving
around wide areas via a process known as handoff or handover.

In addition to being a telephone, modern mobile phones also support many additional services,
and accessories, such as SMS (or text) messages, email, Internet access, gaming, Bluetooth,
infrared, camera, MMS messaging, MP3 player, radio and GPS. Low-end mobile phones are
often referred to as feature phones, whereas high-end mobile phones that offer more advanced
computing ability are referred to as smartphones.

The first handheld cellular phone was demonstrated by Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973,
using a handset weighing in at two kilos.[2] In the year 1990, 12.4 million people worldwide had
cellular subscriptions.[3] By the end of 2009, only 20 years later, the number of mobile cellular
subscriptions worldwide reached approximately 4.6 billion, 370 times the 1990 number,
penetrating the developing economies and reaching the bottom of the economic pyramid.[4]

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
• 2 Handset Features
o 2.1 Software and applications
o 2.2 Power supply
o 2.3 SIM card
• 3 Mobile phones in society
o 3.1 Market share
o 3.2 Growth in BRICI Countries
o 3.3 Media
• 4 Usage
o 4.1 Examples
o 4.2 Sharing
o 4.3 Restrictions on usage
 4.3.1 Use while driving
 4.3.2 Schools
o 4.4 Privacy
• 5 List of best selling phones
o 5.1 By model
o 5.2 By manufacturer
• 6 Future evolution: Broadband Fourth generation (4G)
 • 7 Comparison to similar systems
• 8 See also
• 9 References
• 10 Further reading

• 11 External links

History
Main article: History of mobile phones

An evolution of mobile phones

Radiophones have a long and varied history going back to Reginald Fessenden's invention and
shore-to-ship demonstration of radio telephony, through the Second World War with military use
of radio telephony links and civil services in the 1950s, while hand-held mobile radio devices
have been available since 1973.

The first mobile telephone call made from a car occurred in St. Louis, Missouri, USA on June
17, 1946, but the system was impractical from what is considered a portable handset today. The
equipment weighed 80 lbs, and the AT&T service, basically a massive party line, cost $30 USD
per month plus 30 to 40 cents per local call.[5]

In 1960, the world’s first partly automatic car phone system, Mobile System A (MTA), was
launched in Sweden. MTA phones were composed of vacuum tubes and relays, and had a weight
of 40 kg. In 1962, a more modern version called Mobile System B (MTB) was launched, which
was a push-button telephone, and which used transistors in order to enhance the telephone’s
calling capacity and improve its operational reliability. In 1971 the MTD version was launched,
opening for several different brands of equipment and gaining commercial success.[6][7]

Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive is considered to be the inventor of the first
practical mobile phone for hand-held use in a non-vehicle setting, after a long race against Bell
Labs for the first portable mobile phone. Using a modern, if somewhat heavy portable handset,
Cooper made the first call on a hand-held mobile phone on April 3, 1973 to his rival, Dr. Joel S.
Engel of Bell Labs.[8]

The first commercially automated cellular network (the 1G generation) was launched in Japan by
NTT in 1979, initially in the metropolitan area of Tokyo. Within five years, the NTT network
had been expanded to cover the whole population of Japan and became the first nation-wide 1G
network. In 1981, this was followed by the simultaneous launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone
(NMT) system in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.[9] NMT was the first mobile phone
network featuring international roaming. The first 1G network launched in the USA was Chicago
based Ameritech in 1983 using the Motorola DynaTAC mobile phone. Several countries then
followed in the early 1980s including the UK, Mexico and Canada.

The first "modern" network technology on digital 2G (second generation) cellular technology
was launched by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Group) in 1991 in Finland on the GSM standard
which also marked the introduction of competition in mobile telecoms when Radiolinja
challenged incumbent Telecom Finland (now part of TeliaSonera) who ran a 1G NMT network.

In 2001 the first commercial launch of 3G (Third Generation) was again in Japan by NTT
DoCoMo on the WCDMA standard.[10]

One of the newest 3G technologies to be implemented is High-Speed Downlink Packet Access

(HSDPA). It is an enhanced 3G (third generation) mobile telephony communications protocol in
the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) family, also coined 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G, which allows
networks based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) to have higher data
transfer speeds and capacity.

Handset Features
Main articles: Mobile phone features and Smartphone

A Nokia 1200 phone with box

A printed circuit board inside a Nokia 3210

Printed circuit board inside a Motorola SLVR L7

All mobile phones have a number of features in common, but manufacturers also try to
differentiate their own products by implementing additional functions to make them more
attractive to consumers. This has led to great innovation in mobile phone development over the
last twenty years.

The common components found on all phones are:

• a rechargeable battery providing the power source for the phone functions
• an input mechanism and display to allow the user to interact with the phone. The most
common input mechanism is a keypad, but touch screens are also found in some high end
smart phones.
• basic mobile phone services to allow users to make calls and send text messages.
• All GSM phones use a SIM card to allow an account to be swapped among devices.
Some CDMA devices also have a similar card called a R-UIM.
• Individual GSM, WCDMA, iDEN and some satellite phone devices are uniquely
identified by an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

Low-end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones, and offer basic telephony, as
well as functions such as playing music and taking photos, and sometimes simple applications
based on generic managed platforms such as Java ME or BREW. Handsets with more advanced
computing ability through the use of native software applications became known as smart
phones. The first smartphone was the Nokia 9000 Communicator in 1996 which added PDA
functionality to the basic mobile phone at the time. As miniaturisation and increased processing
power of microchips has enabled ever more features to be added to phones, the concept of the
smartphone has evolved, and what was a high-end smartphone five years ago, is a standard
phone today.

Several phone series have been introduced to address a given market segment, such as the RIM
BlackBerry focusing on enterprise/corporate customer email needs; the SonyEricsson Walkman
series of musicphones and Cybershot series of cameraphones; the Nokia Nseries of multimedia
phones, the Palm Pre the HTC Dream and the Apple iPhone.

Other features that may be found on mobile phones include GPS navigation, music (MP3) and
video (MP4) playback, RDS radio receiver, alarms, memo recording, personal digital assistant
functions, ability to watch streaming video, video download, video calling, built-in cameras
(1.0+ Mpx) and camcorders (video recording), with autofocus and flash, ringtones, games, PTT,
memory card reader (SD), USB (2.0), dual line support, infrared, Bluetooth (2.0) and WiFi
connectivity, instant messaging, Internet e-mail and browsing and serving as a wireless modem.
Nokia and the University of Cambridge demonstrated a bendable cell phone called the Morph.[11]

Software and applications

A Toshiba TG01 phone with touchscreen feature

The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging. The first
SMS text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK, while the first
person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993.

Other non-SMS data services used on mobile phones include mobile music, downloadable logos
and pictures, gaming, gambling, adult entertainment and advertising. The first downloadable
mobile content was sold to a mobile phone in Finland in 1998, when Radiolinja (now Elisa)
introduced the downloadable ring tone service. In 1999 Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo
introduced its mobile internet service, i-Mode, which today is the world's largest mobile internet
service.

The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. Mobile news
services are expanding with many organisations providing "on-demand" news services by SMS.
Some also provide "instant" news pushed out by SMS.

Mobile payments were first trialled in Finland in 1998 when two Coca-Cola vending machines in
Espoo were enabled to work with SMS payments. Eventually the idea spread and in 1999 the
Philippines launched the first commercial mobile payments systems, on the mobile operators
Globe and Smart. Today mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to
mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets.

Power supply

Mobile phone charging service in Uganda

Mobile phones generally obtain power from rechargeable batteries. There are a variety of ways
used to charge cell phones, including USB, portable batteries, mains power (using an AC
adapter), cigarette lighters (using an adapter), or a dynamo. In 2009, wireless charging became a
reality, and the first wireless charger was released for consumer use.[12]

Standardization of Micro-USB connector for charging

Starting from 2010, many mobile phone manufacturers have agreed to use the Micro-USB
connector for charging their phones.[13] The mobile phone manufacturers who have agreed to this
standard include:

• LG
• Motorola
• Nokia
• Research In Motion
• Samsung
• Sony Ericsson

On 17 February 2009, the GSM Association announced[14] that they had agreed on a standard
charger for mobile phones. The standard connector to be adopted by 17 manufacturers in the
Open Mobile Terminal Platform including Nokia, Motorola and Samsung is to be the micro-USB
connector (several media reports erroneously reported this as the mini-USB). The new chargers
will be much more efficient than existing chargers. Having a standard charger for all phones,
means that manufacturers will no longer have to supply a charger with every new phone.

In addition, on 22 October 2009 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced

that it had embraced micro-USB as the Universal Charger Solution its "energy-efficient one-
charger-fits-all new mobile phone solution", and added: "Based on the Micro-USB interface,
UCS chargers will also include a 4-star or higher efficiency rating — up to three times more
energy-efficient than an unrated charger."[15]

Charger efficiency

The world's five largest handset makers introduced a new rating system in November 2008 to
help consumers more easily identify the most energy-efficient chargers

The majority of energy lost in a mobile phone charger is in its no load condition, when the
mobile phone is not connected but the charger has been left plugged in and using power. To
combat this in November 2008 the top five mobile phone manufacturers Nokia, Samsung, LG
Electronics[dead link], Sony Ericsson and Motorola set up a star rating system to rate the efficiency
of their chargers in the no-load condition. Starting at zero stars for >0.5 W and going up to the
top five star rating for <0.03 W (30 mW) no load power.[16]

A number of semiconductor companies offering flyback controllers, such as Power Integrations

and CamSemi, now claim that the five star standard can be achieved with use of their product.[17]

Battery

Formerly, the most common form of mobile phone batteries were nickel metal-hydride, as they
have a low size and weight. Lithium ion batteries are sometimes used, as they are lighter and do
not have the voltage depression that nickel metal-hydride batteries do. Many mobile phone
manufacturers have now switched to using lithium-polymer batteries as opposed to the older
Lithium-Ion, the main advantages of this being even lower weight and the possibility to make the
battery a shape other than strict cuboid.[18] Mobile phone manufacturers have been experimenting
with alternative power sources, including solar cells and Coca Cola.[19]

SIM card

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged
and removed. (September 2009)
Main articles: Subscriber Identity Module and Removable User Identity Module
Typical mobile phone SIM card

GSM mobile phones require a small microchip called a Subscriber Identity Module or SIM Card,
to function. The SIM card is approximately the size of a small postage stamp and is usually
placed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit. The SIM securely stores the service-
subscriber key (IMSI) used to identify a subscriber on mobile telephony devices (such as mobile
phones and computers). The SIM card allows users to change phones by simply removing the
SIM card from one mobile phone and inserting it into another mobile phone or broadband
telephony device.

A SIM card contains its unique serial number, internationally unique number of the mobile user
(IMSI), security authentication and ciphering information, temporary information related to the
local network, a list of the services the user has access to and two passwords (PIN for usual use
and PUK for unlocking).

SIM cards are available in three standard sizes. The first is the size of a credit card (85.60 mm ×
53.98 mm x 0.76 mm). The newer, most popular miniature version has the same thickness but a
length of 25 mm and a width of 15 mm, and has one of its corners truncated (chamfered) to
prevent misinsertion. The newest incarnation known as the 3FF or micro-SIM has dimensions of
15 mm × 12 mm. Most cards of the two smaller sizes are supplied as a full-sized card with the
smaller card held in place by a few plastic links; it can easily be broken off to be used in a device
that uses the smaller SIM.

The first SIM card was made in 1991 by Munich smart card maker Giesecke & Devrient for the
Finnish wireless network operator Radiolinja. Giesecke & Devrient sold the first 300 SIM cards
to Elisa (ex. Radiolinja).

Those cell phones that do not use a SIM Card have the data programmed in to their memory.
This data is accessed by using a special digit sequence to access the "NAM" as in "Name" or
number programming menu. From there, information can be added including: a new number for
the phone, new Service Provider numbers, new emergency numbers, new Authentication Key or
A-Key code, and a Preferred Roaming List or PRL. However, to prevent the phone being
accidentally disabled or removed from the network, the Service Provider typically locks this data
with a Master Subsidiary Lock (MSL). The MSL also locks the device to a particular carrier
when it is sold as a loss leader.

The MSL applies to the SIM only so once the contract has been completed the MSL still applies
to the SIM. The phone however, is also initially locked by the manufacturer into the Service
Providers MSL. This lock may be disabled so that the phone can use other Service Providers
SIM cards. Most phones purchased outside the US are unlocked phones because there are
numerous Service Providers close to one another or have overlapping coverage. The cost to
unlock a phone varies but is usually very cheap and is sometimes provided by independent phone
vendors.

A similar module called a Removable User Identity Module is present in some CDMA networks,
notably in China.

Mobile phones in society

Market share

Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants 1997–2007

The world's largest individual mobile operator is China Mobile with over 500 million mobile
phone subscribers[citation needed]. The world's largest mobile operator group by subscribers is UK
based Vodafone[citation needed]. There are over 600 mobile operators and carriers in commercial
production worldwide[citation needed]. Over 50 mobile operators have over 10 million subscribers
each, and over 150 mobile operators have at least one million subscribers by the end of 2009
(source wireless intelligence).

LG Sony
Source Date Nokia Samsung RIM Others References
Electronics Ericsson
IDC Q1/2010 36.6% 21.8% 9.2% 3.6% 3.6% 25.3% [20]
 [21]
Gartner Q1/2010 35.0% 20.6% 8.6% 3.4% 3.1% 29.3%

Other manufacturers include Apple Inc., Audiovox (now UTStarcom), CECT, HTC Corporation,
Fujitsu, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Panasonic, Palm, Matsushita, Pantech Wireless Inc.,
Philips, Qualcomm Inc., Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), Sagem, Sanyo, Sharp, Sierra Wireless,
SK Teletech, T&A Alcatel, Huawei, Trium, Toshiba and Vidalco. There are also specialist
communication systems related to (but distinct from) mobile phones.

Growth in BRICI Countries

They take advantage of cheaper price call in same operator and also don't mind of cheap
handphone from China with price from less than $20 and a lot of them at least twitter enabled
even the cheapest ones. Indonesian cellular users use their phones as PCs do for mobile e-mails,
mobile payments and e-commerces (The highest country users among BRICI - Brazil, Russia,
India, China and Indonesia - countries). Indonesia also the most Facebook and Twitter social
networking users. Among China, India and Indonesia, Indonesia has predicted for the best
organic growth in telecommunications revenue. The study has been done by Boston Consulting
Group (BCG).[22]

Media

In 1998, one of the first examples of selling media content through the mobile phone was the sale
of ringtones by Radiolinja in Finland. Soon afterwards other media content appeared such as
news, videogames, jokes, horoscopes, TV content and advertising. Most early content for mobile
tended to be copies of legacy media, such as the banner advertisement or the TV news highlight
video clip. Recently unique content for mobile has been emerging, from the ringing tones and
ringback tones in music to "mobisodes," video content that has been produced exclusively for
mobile phones.

In 2006 the total value of mobile phone paid media content exceeded internet paid media content
and was worth 31 Billion dollars (source Informa 2007). The value of music on phones was
worth 9.3 Billion dollars in 2007 and gaming was worth over 5 billion dollars in 2007.[23]

The advent of media on the mobile phone has also produced the opportunity to identify and track
Alpha Users or Hubs, the most influential members of any social community. AMF Ventures
measured in 2007 the relative accuracy of three mass media, and found that audience measures
on mobile were nine times more accurate than on the internet and 90 times more accurate than on
TV.[original research?]

The mobile phone is often called the Fourth Screen (if counting cinema, TV and PC screens as
the first three) or Third Screen (counting only TV and PC screens).[weasel words] It is also called the
Seventh of the Mass Media (with Print, Recordings, Cinema, Radio, TV and Internet the first
six).

Usage
Examples

Mobile phones are used for a variety of purposes, including keeping in touch with family
members, conducting business, and having access to a telephone in the event of an emergency.
Some people carry more than one cell phone for different purposes, such as for business and
personal use. Multiple SIM cards may also be used to take advantage of the benefits of different
calling plans—a particular plan might provide cheaper local calls, long-distance calls,
international calls, or roaming. A study by Motorola found that one in ten cell phone subscribers
have a second phone that often is kept secret from other family members. These phones may be
used to engage in activities including extramarital affairs or clandestine business dealings.[24] The
mobile phone has also been used in a variety of diverse contexts in society, for example:

• Organizations that aid victims of domestic violence may offer a cell phone to potential
victims without the abuser's knowledge. These devices are often old phones that are
donated and refurbished to meet the victim's emergency needs.[25]
• Child predators have taken advantage of cell phones to secretly communicate with
children without the knowledge of their parents or teachers.[26]
• The advent of widespread text messaging has resulted in the cell phone novel; the first
literary genre to emerge from the cellular age via text messaging to a website that collects
the novels as a whole.[27] Paul Levinson, in Information on the Move (2004), says
"...nowadays, a writer can write just about as easily, anywhere, as a reader can read" and
they are "not only personal but portable".
• Mobile telephony also facilitates activism and public journalism being explored by
Reuters and Yahoo![28] and small independent news companies such as Jasmine News in
Sri Lanka.

Sharing

Cell phone sharing is a phenomenon that exists around the world. It is prevalent in urban India,
as families and groups of friends often share one or more mobiles among their members. Two
types of sharing which exist are "conspicuous" and "stealthy" sharing. An example of
conspicuous sharing takes place when someone calls the friend of the person they are trying to
reach in hopes of being able to talk to that individual; stealthy sharing occurs when an individual
uses another's cell phone without their knowledge. Phone sharing does not only take place
because of its economic benefits, but also often due to familial customs and traditional gender
roles.[29] An example of cell phone sharing occurs in Burkina Faso. There it is not uncommon for
a village to have access to only one cell phone. This cell phone is typically owned by a person
who is not natively from the village, such as a teacher or missionary. Although the cell phone is
the sole property of one individual, it is the expectation that other members of the village are
allowed to use the cell phone to make necessary calls. Although some may consider this a
burden, it can actually be an opportunity to engage in reciprocal obligations. This type of cell
phone sharing is an important for the small villages in Burkina Faso because it allows them to
keep up with the expectations of the globalizing world.[30]

Restrictions on usage
Further information: Mobile phone radiation and health and Mobile phones on aircraft

There exists a community that believes mobile phone use represents a long-term health risk,
although this is currently disputed by the World Health Organization, with forthcoming mobile
phone usage recommendations in 2010.[31] Certain countries, including France, have warned
against the use of cell phones especially by minors due to health risk uncertainties.[32] Groups of
scientists, such as the US based group Bioinitiative, argue that because mobile phone use is
recently introduced technology, long-term "proof" has been impossible and that use should be
restricted, or monitored closely, while the technology is still new.

Use while driving

Main article: Mobile phones and driving safety

Mobile phone use while driving is common but controversial. Being distracted while operating a
motor vehicle has been shown to increase the risk of accident. Because of this, many
jurisdictions prohibit the use of mobile phones while driving. Egypt, Israel, Japan, Portugal and
Singapore ban both hand-held and hands-free use of a mobile phone whilst many other
countries –including the UK, France, and many US states– ban hand-held phone use only,
allowing hands-free use.

Due to the increasing complexity of mobile phones –often more like mobile computers in their
available uses– it has introduced additional difficulties for law enforcement officials in being
able to tell one usage from another as drivers use their devices. This is more apparent in those
countries who ban both hand-held and hands-free usage, rather those who have banned hand-held
use only, as officials cannot easily tell which function of the mobile phone is being used simply
by visually looking at the driver. This can mean that drivers may be stopped for using their
device illegally on a phone call, when in fact they were not; instead using the device for a legal
purpose such as the phones' incorporated controls for car stereo or satnav usage – either as part
of the cars' own device or directly on the mobile phone itself.
Cases like these can often only be proved otherwise by a check of the mobile operators phone
call records to see if a call was taking place during the journey concerned. Although in many
countries the law enforcement official may have stopped the driver for a differing offence, for
example, for lack of due care and attention in relation to their driving.

Schools

Some schools limit or restrict the use of mobile phones. Schools set restrictions on the use of
mobile phones because of the use of cell phones for cheating on tests, harassment and bullying,
causing threats to the schools security, distractions to the students and facilitating gossip and
other social activity in school. Many mobile phones are banned in school locker room facilities,
public restrooms and swimming pools due to the built-in cameras that most phones now feature.

A recently published study has reviewed the incidence of mobile phone use while cycling and its
effects on behaviour and safety.[33]
Privacy

Cell phones have numerous privacy issues.

Governments, law enforcement and intelligence services use mobiles to perform surveillance in
the UK and the US. They possess technology to remotely activate the microphones in cell phones
in order to listen to conversations that take place near to the person who holds the phone.[34][35]

Mobile phones are also commonly used to collect location data. The geographical location of a
mobile phone can be determined easily (whether it is being used or not), using a technique
known multilateration to calculate the differences in time for a signal to travel from the cell
phone to each of several cell towers near the owner of the phone.[36][37]

List of best selling phones

By model

# Manufacturer Model Release year Units sold

1 Nokia 1100 2003 250 million
2 Nokia 1200 2007 150 million
3 Nokia 1110 2005 150 million
4 Nokia 3200 1999 150 million
5 Nokia 2600/2610/2626/2630 2004 135 million
6 Nokia 1600/1650/1661 2006 130 million
7 Motorola RAZR V3 2004 130 million
8 Nokia 3310 2000 126 million
9 Nokia 1208/1209 2007 100 million
10 Nokia 6010/6020/6030 2004 75 million

Source: Live Mag, late August, from The Mail On Sunday

By manufacturer

Manufacturer Model Release year Units sold

Nokia 1100 2003 250 million
Motorola RAZR V3 2004 130 million
Samsung S8300 Tocco Ultra 2009 12 million
K310
Sony Ericsson 2006 15 million
W810
LG Chocolate 2009 15 million
Apple iPhone 3GS 2009 35 million
M30/M35i 2000
Siemens 15 million
A50 2002
BenQ-Siemens S68 2006 15 million
RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100 2006 15 million
Alcatel One Touch Mini 708 2009 5 million
Palm Centro 2007 2 million
HTC Touch 2007 2 million

Source: Live Mag, late August, from The Mail On Sunday

Future evolution: Broadband Fourth generation (4G)

Main article: 4G

The recently released 4th generation, also known as Beyond 3G, aims to provide broadband
wireless access with nominal data rates of 100 Mbit/s to fast moving devices, and 1 Gbit/s to
stationary devices defined by the ITU-R[38] 4G systems may be based on the 3GPP LTE (Long
Term Evolution) cellular standard, offering peak bit rates of 326.4 Mbit/s. It may perhaps also be
based on WiMax or Flash-OFDM wireless metropolitan area network technologies that promise
broadband wireless access with speeds that reaches 233 Mbit/s for mobile users. The radio
interface in these systems is based on all-IP packet switching, MIMO diversity, multi-carrier
modulation schemes, Dynamic Channel Assignment (DCA) and channel-dependent scheduling.
A 4G system should be a complete replacement for current network infrastructure and is
expected to be able to provide a comprehensive and secure IP solution where voice, data, and
streamed multimedia can be given to users on a "Anytime, Anywhere" basis, and at much higher
data rates than previous generations. Sprint in the US has claimed its WiMax network to be "4G
network" which most cellular telecoms standardization experts dispute repeatedly around the
world. Sprint's 4G is seen as a marketing gimmick as WiMax itself is part of the 3G air interface.
The officially accepted, ITU ratified standards-based 4G networks are not expected to be
commercially launched until 2011.

Comparison to similar systems

Car phone
A type of telephone permanently mounted in a vehicle, these often have more powerful
transmitters, an external antenna and loudspeaker for hands free use. They usually
connect to the same networks as regular mobile phones.
Cordless telephone (portable phone)
Cordless phones are telephones which use one or more radio handsets in place of a wired
handset. The handsets connect wirelessly to a base station, which in turn connects to a
conventional land line for calling. Unlike mobile phones, cordless phones use private
base stations (belonging to the land-line subscriber), which are not shared.
Professional Mobile Radio
Advanced professional mobile radio systems can be very similar to mobile phone
systems. Notably, the IDEN standard has been used as both a private trunked radio
 system as well as the technology for several large public providers. Similar attempts have
even been made to use TETRA, the European digital PMR standard, to implement public
mobile networks.
Radio phone
This is a term which covers radios which could connect into the telephone network.
These phones may not be mobile; for example, they may require a mains power supply,
or they may require the assistance of a human operator to set up a PSTN phone call.
Satellite phone
This type of phone communicates directly with an artificial satellite, which in turn relays
calls to a base station or another satellite phone. A single satellite can provide coverage to
a much greater area than terrestrial base stations. Since satellite phones are costly, their
use is typically limited to people in remote areas where no mobile phone coverage exists,
such as mountain climbers, mariners in the open sea, and news reporters at disaster sites.
IP Phone
This type of phone delivers or receives calls over internet, LAN or WAN networks using
VoIP as opposed to traditional CDMA and GSM networks. In business, the majority of
these IP Phones tend to be connected via wired Ethernet, however wireless varieties do
exist. Several vendors have developed standalone WiFi phones. Additionally, some
cellular mobile phones include the ability to place VoIP calls over cellular high speed
data networks and/or wireless internet