It could be argued that the Information Age began in 1837
with the invention of the telegraph in the United States. The
first public telegraph was completed in 1844 and ran 64 km or
about 40 miles between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore,
Maryland. Obviously, Samuel B. Morse was aware of his place
in history when he transmitted the first message, “What hath
God wrought?”
Morse realized in that instant that communications
between individuals and nations had been dramatically altered.
Today we take the first steps toward another milestone—the
Wireless Internet. To understand the significance of a Wireless
Internet, we should look at some of the milestones along the
way. It has been said that “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and the
Wireless Internet will not happen instantly either. It has taken
164 years to get this far—from the invention of the telegraph
to today’s Wireless Internet.
In this chapter we review a little of the history of wired and
wireless communications and the reason for its progress.
Technology can drive applications but sometimes, applications
create a need for new technology; thus it is with the Wireless
Internet—one must understand that having the capability
does not mean that the capability will be used. This chapter
introduces some of the technological achievements that will
culminate in the Wireless Internet:
• Voice and data communications
• Birth of the cellular telephone
• Wireless communication devices
• 2G and 3G cellular
• Technologies driving the Wireless Internet