Editing Telephone (section)

==Mobile phones==
{{main|Mobile phone}}
[[File:Mobile Phone Evolution 1992 - 2014.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Two decades of evolution of mobile phones, from a 1992 [[Motorola MicroTAC#International GSM|Motorola 8900X-2]] to the 2014 [[iPhone 6 Plus]]]]
[[file:SIM-Karte von Telefónica O2 Europe - Standard und Micro.jpg|thumb|A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with a cutout to convert the card to micro-SIM size)]]
[[File:SMS test.jpg|thumb|An SMS message written on a [[Motorola RAZR V3]]]]
A [[mobile phone]] or cellphone or hand phone is a handheld telephone which connects via radio transmissions to a [[cellular network|cellular telephone network]].  The cellular network consists of a network of ground based transmitter/receiver stations with antennas – which are usually located on towers or on buildings – and infrastructure connecting to the global telecommunications network.<ref name="Walters">{{cite journal |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/355146.355149 |title=Cellular Networks: Past, Present, and Future |last1=Walters |first1=Lourens O |last2=Kritzinger |first2=PS |journal=XRDS: Crossroads, the ACM Magazine for Students |volume=7 |issue=2 |date=December 2000 |pages=4–ff35 |doi=10.1145/355146.355149 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |access-date=2022-10-31 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105223501/https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/355146.355149 |archive-date=2022-11-05 }}</ref> Analog cellular networks first appeared in 1979, followed by the introduction of digital cellular networks in the early 1990s, marking the beginning of the [[GSM]] standard.<ref name="Galazzo">{{cite web |url=https://www.cengn.ca/information-centre/innovation/timeline-from-1g-to-5g-a-brief-history-on-cell-phones/ |title=From 1G to 5G: The History of Cell Phones and their Cellular Generations |last=Galazzo |first=Richard |date=2022-01-24 |website=CENGN |access-date=2022-10-07 |quote= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005154815/https://www.cengn.ca/information-centre/innovation/timeline-from-1g-to-5g-a-brief-history-on-cell-phones/ |archive-date=2022-10-05 }}</ref> Over time, these networks evolved, with each new generation ([[2G]], [[3G]], [[4G]], and beyond) offering improved data transmission capabilities and more advanced features for [[Mobile telephony|mobile communication]].

Mobile phones require a [[SIM card]] to be inserted into the phone.  The SIM card is a small PVC card containing a small [[integrated circuit]] which stores the user's [[international mobile subscriber identity]] (IMSI) number and its related key, which are used to identify and authenticate subscribers to the cellular network.

Mobile phones generally incorporate an [[Liquid-crystal display|LCD]] or [[OLED]] display, with some types, such as smartphones, having touch screens.  Since the 1990s, mobile phones have gained other features which are not directly related to their primary function as telephones.  These include text messaging, calendars, alarm clocks, personal schedulers, cameras, music players, games and later, internet access and [[smartphone]] functionality.  Nearly all mobile phones have the ability to send text messages to other users via the [[SMS]] (Short Message Service) protocol.  The [[multimedia messaging service]] (MMS) protocol enables users to send and receive multimedia content, such as photos, audio files and video files.  As their functionality has increased over the years, many types of mobile phone, notably smartphones, require an [[operating system]] to run.  Popular mobile phone operating systems in the past have included [[Symbian]], [[Palm OS]], [[BlackBerry OS]] and [[Windows Mobile|mobile phone versions of Windows]].  As of 2022, the most used operating systems are Google's [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and Apple's [[iOS]].<ref name=MordorIntelligence>{{cite web |url=https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/smartphones-market |title=Smartphones Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027) |date=2022 |website=Mordor Intelligence |access-date=8 August 2022 |quote= |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808130043/https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/smartphones-market |archive-date=8 August 2022 }}</ref><ref name="Android Authority">{{cite web |last1=Wankhede |first1=Calvin |title=The history of cell phones: A decade-by-decade timeline |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/history-of-cell-phones-timeline-3264425/ |website=Android Authority |publisher=Authority Media |access-date=16 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916010641/https://www.androidauthority.com/history-of-cell-phones-timeline-3264425/ |archive-date=2024-09-16 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the era of smartphones, mobile phones were generally manufactured by companies specializing in telecommunications equipment, such as [[Nokia]], [[Motorola]], and [[Ericsson]].  Since the advent of smartphones, mobile phone manufacturers have also included consumer electronics companies, such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Samsung]] and [[Xiaomi]].<ref name="Android Authority" />

===Smartphones===
{{main|Smartphone}}
[[File:Livraria do Senado (22622160063).jpg|thumb|A smartphone with a touchscreen user interface, held in [[landscape orientation]]]]
As of 2022, most mobile phones are smartphones, being a combination of a mobile phone and a personal computing device in the same unit.  Most smartphones are primarily operated using a [[graphical user interface]] and a touch screen.  Many phones have a secondary voice user interface, such as [[Siri]] on Apple [[iPhones]], which can operate many of the device's functions, as well as enabling users to use spoken commands to interact with the internet.  Typically alphanumeric text input is accomplished via an on-screen virtual keyboard, although some smartphones have a small physical keyboard.  Smartphones offer the ability to access internet data through the cellular network and via wi-fi, and usually allow direct connectivity to other devices via [[Bluetooth]] or a wired interface, such as [[USB]] or [[Lightning (connector)|Lightning]] connectors.

Smartphones, being able to run [[Mobile app|apps]], have vastly expanded functionality compared to previous mobile phones.  Having internet access and built in cameras, smartphones have made [[video calling]] readily accessible via IP connections.  Smartphones also have access to a large number of web services and web apps, giving them functionality similar to traditional computers, although smartphones are often limited by their relatively small screen size and the size of their keyboards.  Typically, smartphones feature such tools as cameras, media players, web browsers, email clients, interactive maps, satellite navigation and a variety of sensors, such as a [[compass]], [[accelerometers]] and [[GPS receivers]].  In addition to voice calls, smartphone users commonly communicate using a wide variety of messaging formats, including SMS, MMS, email, and various proprietary messaging services, such as [[iMessage]] and various social media platforms.

===Mobile phone usage===
In 2002, only 10% of the world's population used [[mobile phone]]s and by 2005 that percentage had risen to 46%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/16/are-cell-phones-ruining-our-social-skills|title=Are Cell Phones Ruining Our Social Skills? – SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy|website=sites.psu.edu|access-date=2017-11-16|archive-date=2017-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120115256/https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/09/16/are-cell-phones-ruining-our-social-skills/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of 2009, there were a total of nearly 6 billion mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers worldwide. This included 1.26 billion fixed-line subscribers and 4.6 billion mobile subscribers.<ref>[http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/20.html Next-Generation Networks Set to Transform Communications], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214415/http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/20.html |date=2016-03-03 }} International Telecommunication Union website, 4 September 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2009.</ref>