WhyWaitForever - London - Telephone Information

In the dim and distant past there was a monopoly

Up to the seventies there was a single supplier who supplied few expensive services over fixed lines. These services were accessible through a limited range of handsets. New customers (then called subscribers) had to wait long periods to be connected and maybe due to local limited infrastructure suffered the limitations of a shared line. In a shared line service strangers both use the same telephone line and could listen to each others conversations among other inconveniences. Computers began to be networked together using permanently connected telephone lines and special modem like devices. At the end of this period slow modems built into "teleprinter" type terminals began to be in common use. Most used a standard phone that needed to be placed in an audio coupler (a sort of tea cosy for the ear piece and the mouth piece).

Deregulation and rapid improvements

In the eighties deregulation and privatisation became a distinct possibility. New services that were previously available only in a few countries began to be offered. Phone sets could use local wireless connection to a physically close base unit. Automatic answering machines were introduced. Pager devices which exploited the "Short Message Service" (SMS) technology began to be available to all who needed constant access to sources of information. Having been paged it was necessary to find a fixed phone line to take the matter further. The pagers were one way only. They beeped or vibrated to indicate an incoming message.

Analogue mobile phones (the first generation)

In the late eighties the first generation of analogue mobile phones became common place. These had little security. Scanner devices could listen into conversations. Premium service calls to provide information were introduced. Battery life, battery charging frequency and battery charge times limited the utility of these phones. Even with the limitations mobile phones became freely available. Car sets appeared and some time latter hands free car sets. Mobile phone aerials spread across the landscape in more and more accessible high points. Coverage and quality improved.

Digital mobile phones (the second generation)

During the nineties digital mobile phones (the second generation) replaced analogue phones. A generation of phones, pagers and scanning devices were made redundant. In these optimistic times proposals were made for a host of satellites to be launched to provide globe wide services. Security features addressed many of the limitations of the earlier phones. Text messages could be both received and sent. Tunes could be played instead of a standard telephone ring. Phones could be set to be silent and just vibrate to indicate an incoming call. Personal phone books could be held on the phone. A portable computer could access (very slowly) the Internet through a connection via a mobile phone and a "data" connection service. In a similar way test messages could be used via a "SMS" connection service.

WAP mobile phones (the third generation)

In 2000 CE the "third" generation (3G) mobile phones are beginning to be used. These are the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) phones. The UK government auctioned rights to exclusively use for 20 years in the UK 5 ranges of bandwidths to 5 companies. These phones allow access to web pages on the Internet that have either been formatted for the mobile phone or are web pages that can be automatically translated into the form accessible to a mobile phone. The vast majority of information currently on the Internet is not accessible to a mobile phone. The first WAP phones have limited functionality. The visible display is usually around 3 lines of 15 characters. A page can be scrolled up and down but not left or right. Text is wrapped if possible or the page is truncated. Information can be entered into Internet forms and completed forms submitted. This can be very tedious and error prone. Simple emails can be sent. Transmitted information is secured using both telephone connection security features and Internet security features.

WAP mobile pocket computer phones

Hybrid devices that combine the functions of a WAP phone with those of a pocket computer are available. These devices can access more complex web pages. They have larger display sizes. Most are still limited to scrolling up and down with text lines being wrapped around to the next line. Most do not provide scrolling left and right. Web page presentation is similar to that of a web set top television box (WebTV).

Costs and the fixed line is cheapest

For most customers a fixed line is still the cheapest option by far. The phrase "I'll call you back from home" is a phrase that will be meaningful for sometime to come.

Health

The evidence is not yet conclusive as to whether or not mobile phones or even mobile phone aerials (ground relay stations) increase significantly the risk to health. As with most health issues prudent caution is best.