The 50 Ideas that Shaped Business Today

Mobile communications

Of all the technologies that affect business, mobile communications are perhaps the most revolutionary. Although the first mobile phone was demonstrated in 1973, it was not until the mid-1990s that they began to be adopted more widely. From that point, working life would never be the same.

First, there was the car phone, which allowed salespeople to keep in touch with the office and clients while on the road and respond more quickly to opportunities. Then came mobile phones – not exactly pocketable, but they would fit in a briefcase. Text messaging – originally a service feature for mobile phones – soon took off.

But it was the arrival of mobile data that really transformed business. The once ubiquitous BlackBerry – initially ...