Innovation Stories

Motorola — Cell Phone

Motorola dynaTAC8000x

Dr Martin Cooper, a former general manager for the systems division at Motorola, is considered the inventor of the first modern portable handset, now commonly referred to as the cell phone. Cooper made the first call on a portable cell phone in April 1973. He made the call to his rival, Joel Engel, Bell Labs’ head of research.

Bell Laboratories introduced the idea of cellular communications in 1947 with technology that was used in police cars of the time. However, Motorola was the first to incorporate the technology into a portable device that was designed for hand-held use.

A 2004 U.S. Census report indicated that more than 159 million Americans currently use cellular phones.