There are a lot of mobile phones in the world. At the end of 2022, there were 7.26 billion of them! In fact, there are so many mobile phone users that, on average, every person on this planet has a phone (according to the data). There are more than 2.87 million apps in the Google Play store and more than 2.22 million apps in the Apple store. That’s over 5 million apps in just two stores alone.
For more interesting facts, read on!
1. The World’s First Mobile Telephone Network
The world’s first mobile telephone network operated as an analog system until 1992, when it was converted to digital technology known as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). This required a completely new infrastructure with base stations that could communicate with each other and with mobile telephones using digital signals instead of analog signals – allowing them to send and receive more information faster than ever before.
2. The First British Mobile Phone Call
The first British mobile phone call was made on 1 January 1985 by Ernie Wise while on holiday in France. He used a car phone to call his agent back home and asked him to get his wife to call him back on 081 011 1111 (the premium rate number for the time). She did so from a hotel room in London which cost £2 per minute! The call cost some £20 in total! [1]
3. The First Text Message
The first text message was sent in 1992 by Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old engineer, using a computer to send the message “Merry Christmas” to a friend in England who had just purchased an Orbitel 901 mobile phone. This is considered by many to be one of the most significant events in telecommunications history since it created an instant worldwide network. It allowed people to communicate with each other instantly regardless of time or location, using only their cell phones or computers, without paying long-distance fees through traditional carriers like AT&T or Sprint. [2]
4. The First Mobile Phone
The first mobile phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper, a former Motorola employee. He called it the “brick” because it weighed 2.5 pounds and was about the size of one. The first commercially successful mobile phone was sold in 1983 by Motorola, and in 1984, the first text message was sent via a mobile device.
5. The World’s First Touchscreen Phone
The world’s first touchscreen phone was the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, which came out in 1994 and cost USD 899 at the time (or GBP 790). It had a touchscreen with handwriting recognition software. It was available for sale in the US only through catalogues such as Sears Roebuck & Co. or Montgomery Ward & Co.
Both of them sold it for USD 899 from October 1994 onwards before discontinuing sales at the end of 1998 due to poor sales figures, despite being one of the most advanced smartphones ever made at the time.
6. Addiction to Mobile Phones has Increased More than Ever
One of the main reasons people fear being away from their mobile phones is that they have become so dependent on them. Many people may feel nervous if they have to be away from their mobile phones, lose them, or even run out of battery or lose a signal! That fear is called “nomophobia.” [3]
7. Mobile Phone Radiation is Carcinogenic to Humans
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans. This is based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use. However, some scientists consider this association to be weak, and further research is needed.
8. Mobile phones Can Easily Be Hacked
In 2017, Israeli Security Company NSO Group was accused of selling software to governments that could be used to hack into people’s smartphones and even spy on them through their cameras and microphones. The company has been linked to attacks on human rights activists in Mexico and the UAE. [4]
9. Mobile Phones Can Interfere with Pacemakers
A woman from London found out her pacemaker had been knocked out when she tried to call an ambulance during one of her panic attacks. She had been suffering from palpitations for two years before discovering that her iPhone 6s Plus was interfering with her heartbeat monitor because it was also using Bluetooth technology at the same frequency — 2.4 GHz. [5]
10. Mobile Phones have More Bacteria than Toilet Seats
Mobile phones carry up to 18 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat, and they can be infected with E. coli, salmonella, staphylococcus, and other germs that cause diseases like dysentery and meningitis. No wonder it stinks when you put it close to your ear! [6]
11. The Average Phone Now Has More Computing Power than Ever
The average phone now has more computing power than the Apollo 11 space capsule. And it’s only getting more powerful.
Our phones are packed with sensors and cameras, allowing them to do everything from recognizing our faces to reading our fingerprints. Phones are becoming such a part of our lives that some people even sleep with them by their side.
12. Nokia’s First Smartphone
Nokia released its first smartphone in 1996, called the Nokia 9000 Communicator, with a touchscreen interface and stylus input system that allowed you to use your fingers as well as a pen or pencil on the screen (much like an iPad). It cost around $8000 at that time and had limited functionality due to its size and weight (2 pounds).
13. The Best-Selling Mobile Phone Ever
The most selling mobile phone ever is the Nokia 1100, which was launched in 2003. The phone was priced at $27 and sold over 250 million units worldwide. It had a battery life of 14 days and a standby time of 35 days, and it could store up to 500 names and numbers.
14. The Most Expensive Mobile Phone Ever
The Vertu Signature Cobra is priced at $310,000 and comes with a sapphire crystal screen, 24-karat gold accents, and a “pure cashmere leather” back. The phone also has an 8GB internal memory and 512MB RAM.
15. 86% of Americans Own a Cell Phone
According to a survey from Pew Research Center, 86% of Americans own a cell phone, and only 12% of Americans are without one (at least one). This means that there are over 270 million cell phones in America alone! Worldwide, there are nearly 5 billion mobile phones in use today! [7]
16. The First Provider of Push-to-Talk Service
A company called Nextel was the first-ever provider to offer push-to-talk service (PTT) over cellular networks in 2002 – it only lasted until 2006, when Sprint acquired Nextel and shut down its PTT service.
17. Android was developed by People Who Worked at Google
Android was first developed by a group of programmers who worked at Google. They named it Android because they wanted it to be an open-source operating system, and the word android came from Greek mythology meaning “automaton resembling a human being in form and movement”.
18. Active Smartphone Users in the World
There are over 3 billion active users of mobile phones in the world today, which means that around 50% of the world’s population own one! If the global population is expected to reach slightly more than 8 billion, then more than 8 out of 10 people will have a smartphone in 2023. In other words, 85% of people around the world will own one. [8]
19. People touch their phones an average of 2617 times a day
The average smartphone usage can be quite surprising. People touch their phones an average of 2617 times a day, unlock them 150 times, and spend 3.7 hours on them.
Moreover, over half of the college students are addicted to their phones. Almost three-quarters of Americans take their phones to the bathroom, and 33% of teens take their phones to bed at night.
On average, a person can send or receive 94 text messages every day. This number does not include chats through DMs and other apps.
20. The World’s Smallest Mobile Phone
The ZANCO Tiny T1 is a tiny mobile phone that is making big headlines for being the world’s smallest phone. The Tiny T1 features a 0.49-inch OLED screen, 64 x 32 resolution, 64 GB memory, and a talk time of 180 minutes.
The phone also has a Bluetooth connection for playing music, which is especially useful for people who want to listen to tunes on a smaller-than-usual device.
Conclusion
These days, everybody owns a mobile phone. Some wanted one, some got one as a gift, and others are just addicted to the thing. Whatever the reason for the ownership of your mobile phone, there is little doubt that the phone has become an inseparable part of people’s lives, both young and old.
References
- https://newscentre.vodafone.co.uk/features/vodafone-celebrates-35-years-since-the-first-uk-mobile-phone-call
- https://www.vodafone.com/news/technology/25-anniversary-text-message
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31143710
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/business/nso-group-spyware-blacklist.html
- https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/cell-phones/magnets-cell-phones-and-smart-watches-may-affect-pacemakers-and-other-implanted-medical-devices
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1298057/Mobile-phones-18-times-bacteria-toilet-handle.html
- https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
- https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/how-many-people-have-smartphones
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores
- https://buildfire.com/app-statistics/
