Inventors: AT&T

The jump from crude mobile car phones to cellular phones began in 1947. Ideas for creating several small “cells,” or service areas, and transferring signals between each cell tower could increase the capacity of a company to serve an area. AT&T asked the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to increase the number of radio-spectrum frequencies available so that large numbers of people would be able to have conversations at the same time, thus making the development of a cellular system profitable. However, the FCC decided to limit the number of frequencies available, which delayed the installation of a cellular system for years. (See Cell Phone).

*Pictures from http://www.privateline.com/PCS/images/lauhren.jpg and http://www.privateline.com/PCS/images/mobilephonecartoon.gif

Sources:
 About Inc. Selling the Cell Phone: The History of Cell Phones. 13 October 2003. <http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa070899.htm>

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