Organisers of an event to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the mobile phone in Britain are asking for people’s stories of their first one.
The event staged by the ‘big four’ networks at the University of Salford’s MediaCity campus will showcase an extensive collection of mobile phones and artefacts – old and new – and members of the public are invited to join in the nostalgia by sending in details of early generation ‘bricks’ and carphones.
“If you could tell us what phone you bought, why you got it and how you used it, that would be useful data,” says organiser Nigel Linge, Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Salford.
EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 will piece together the ‘phenomenal story’ of the mobile phone at MediaCityUK campus on Saturday, September 12, to mark three decades of the technological revolution in the UK.
With speakers and experts, the event will provide an unrivalled exploration of the technical advances and social impact of mobiles since live networks launched in 1985.
Professor Linge, who coordinates the day with Professor Andy Sutton of EE, said: “The mobile phone is responsible for a revolution within the UK and worldwide that has transformed the way in which we live.
“Since mobiles started life on the UK’s first cellular network, they have evolved from only making telephone calls to become a pocket computer that gives us access to web and TV, tell us where we are and keep us connected at home, at work and at play.
“No other piece of technology has made such an impact in such a short period of time.”
