Ten years of cellular telephony....

It just occurred to me. It's been ten years since I started using a cell phone regularly. Actually, I was a bit of a latecomer, since have I never owned an analog (1G) handset. Do you remember analog handsets? The ones where the audio actually had static and the lines could be cloned? I bet you do. :-)

There were only three major cellular carriers then, Mobiline, Extelcom, and Smart. The only digital networks were upstarts Globe Telecom and Islacom, which both had a minimal market presence at the time since analog technology dominated the market. I was actually an Islacom subscriber for a number of years before I finally switched to Globe.

Ten years later, the cellular landscape has changed significantly. Mobiline was absorbed by Smart and repackaged as Talk 'N Text. Smart itself was acquired by PLDT, the country's largest telecommunications company. Smart eventually upgraded its analog network to digital and became the cellular network with the most number of subscribers in the country. Extelcom has withdrawn from the cellular market to focus on land-based networks. Islacom was purchased by Globe Telecom, which is now the country's number 2 carrier. There is a new player, Sun Cellular (owned by Digitel), whose claim to fame is being the first cellular carrier to offer unlimited calls for flat rates. Analog cellular technology is dead, having been totally supplanted by digital technology based on the GSM standard. SMS (text messaging) has become de rigueur, and WAP and MMS has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds, fueled by data transmission advances such as HSCSD, GPRS (2.5G) and EDGE (2.75G). 3G communications are not that far off in the future.

It's amusing to think that in that span of time, I've owned a dozen different cellular phones, making the average length of time that I keep a handset less than a year. There are some phones I kept for less than a month, and also some that I used for years (like my present Nokia 6600). Here are the phones I've used in the last decade:

All of the cell phones I've owned, save for one, were made by Nokia.

If you think I switch phones a lot, I know for a fact that there are some people who actually change phones (sometimes even networks) every couple of months. Cellular phones for some are not only status symbols, but also representative of fashion trends. Me? I'm just a geek who loves and appreciates the technology. :-)

In ten years, cellular phones have moved up from being mere communication tools affordable only by the wealthy to technology showcases, fashion accessories, and convergence devices easily within reach of the masses. Whether we like it or not, cellular phones have truly pervaded our lives and our lifestyles, and it seems that they are here to stay.

Hmmm. Maybe now would be a good time to move up to newer model handset. :-)

Postscript:

The rise in popularity of text messaging was the reason the local paging industry died. Remember pagers? See previous post here.