History of Telephone in Timeline

A telephone, commonly called a phone, enables conversations between people too far apart to hear each other directly. It transforms sound, typically the human voice, into electronic signals transmitted through cables and other channels to another phone, which then reproduces the sound for the receiving user. The word "telephone" originates from Ancient Greek, meaning "distant voice".

1947: Invention of the Transistor

The invention of the transistor in 1947 revolutionized telephone systems and long-distance transmission networks. This paved the way for smaller, more efficient devices and the eventual shift towards digital telephony.

1963: Introduction of Touch-Tone Signaling

In 1963, American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) introduced Touch-Tone signaling using push-button telephones, a breakthrough technology that replaced rotary dials.

1973: Introduction of Hand-held Mobile Phones

In 1973, hand-held mobile phones were introduced for personal service, marking a significant step towards greater mobility in telecommunications.

1979: Appearance of Analog Cellular Networks

The first analog cellular networks appeared in 1979, marking the beginning of mobile phone networks as we know them today.

1980: Launch of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

In the 1980s, the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) was launched, offering businesses and consumers digital access to data, voice, video, and fax services.

2002: Low Mobile Phone Usage

In 2002, only 10% of the global population used mobile phones, indicating the relatively early stage of mobile phone adoption.

January 2005: Rise of Internet Telephony

By January 2005, up to 10% of telephone subscribers in Japan and South Korea had adopted internet telephony, with predictions suggesting it was poised for significant growth.

2005: Increase in Mobile Phone Usage

By 2005, mobile phone usage had significantly increased to 46% of the global population, demonstrating the rapid growth of mobile technology.

2009: Global Telephone Subscribers

By the end of 2009, there were nearly 6 billion combined mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers worldwide, comprising 1.26 billion fixed-line and 4.6 billion mobile subscribers.

October 2021: Global VoIP Market Value

In October 2021, the global VoIP market was valued at $85.2 billion, highlighting the substantial growth and impact of internet telephony.

2022: Dominance of Android and iOS

As of 2022, Google's Android and Apple's iOS were the most widely used mobile phone operating systems, reflecting their dominance in the smartphone market.

2022: Smartphones as Personal Computing Devices

In 2022, most mobile phones were smartphones, integrating personal computing capabilities into the same device and relying heavily on touch screen interfaces and voice user interfaces.