The Era of First Mobile Phones

Today we carry powerful smartphones in our pockets, but the journey of mobile communication began much more modestly – with car-mounted radio phones and bulky portable “bricks.” This overview shows how a luxury connection turned into a mass technology and how this happened in Lithuania.

From Car Radio Phones to the Idea of Cellular Communication

After World War II, car radio phones were heavy, expensive, and had limited bandwidth – it was not yet true cellular communication. The real concept of a cellular network began to be implemented only in the 1970s, and in 1979, the launch of the first commercial mobile network in Japan became a cornerstone step towards modern solutions.

From “Motorola DynaTAC” to Portable Kits

“Motorola DynaTAC 8000X” – A Status Symbol

Released in 1983, the “Motorola DynaTAC 8000X” became the first commercial handheld mobile phone: it weighed so much that it was nicknamed “the brick,” and the battery lasted for only a few minutes of conversation. The price was around $3995 – astonishingly high at the time.

“Bag phone” – Portable Car Kits

Also popularized were the so-called “bag phones” – essentially car phone kits with large batteries in bags. They were heavier but offered greater transmission power and more reliable connections in rural areas, thus becoming a transitional solution between car systems and truly portable devices.

The Birth of NMT and the “Nokia/Mobira” Expedition

In 1981, the Nordic countries launched the first international 1G analog network “Nordic Mobile Telephony” (NMT) in the 450/900 MHz frequencies. The open specification encouraged competition in the equipment market and helped companies like “Nokia” (then “Mobira”) and “Ericsson” to grow.

In 1987, the “Mobira Cityman 900” was introduced and became one of the most recognizable European “bricks.” The model was nicknamed “Gorba” because Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was photographed using it while making a call from Helsinki – this image symbolically marked the breakthrough of the mobile era.

From NMT-450 to the First GSM Call

After regaining independence, the analog NMT-450 network was launched in Lithuania in 1992, provided by the first mobile operator “Comliet.” The first devices were large and had simple functions, but they opened the door to a wider audience.

The digital communication era began on March 16, 1995, when the first official GSM call in Lithuania took place on the “Omnitel” (now “Telia”) network – it was made by then Minister of Communications and Informatics Gintautas Žintelis. This breakthrough opened the door to SMS and other digital services, making mobile communication a part of everyday life.

The Birth of the “Flip” Form and Shrinking Cases

The biggest design leap was made by the 1989 “Motorola MicroTAC 9800X” – one of the first widely adopted “flip” type phones that fit into a jacket pocket and marked the transition from “bricks” to compact models.

In 1996, the “Motorola StarTAC” further reduced weight and established the trend of “flip” phones worldwide.

Cases, Antennas, Screens, and Batteries

• Case and Materials. Thick, sturdy plastic concealed a large radio block and battery; black or light (cream) shades predominated.
• Antennas. Usually external, often retractable – this was required by lower frequency (e.g., NMT-450) solutions.
• Screens. Initially – LED indication lines, later – small monochrome LCDs displaying the number, signal strength, and battery level.
• Batteries. Ni-Cd/Ni-MH batteries with short conversation times and the so-called “memory effect” – a common occurrence before the era of lithium-ion batteries.

GSM Establishment and Feature Expansion

With the establishment of more compact “flip” models and 2G (GSM) networks, mobile phones became lighter, more autonomous, and more functional – from SMS to the first data transmission solutions. In Lithuania, GSM, established since 1995, made mobile communication accessible to most residents.