Telephones have come a long way from being chunky machines tied down by wires to elegant and sleek to fit in our pockets.Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. It is a communication device that can to used by two or more people to engage in a conversation.The telephone invented by Graham Bell was heavy and was required to be attached by wires or required a telephone line. It was not until the 1960s that the cordless telephone came into existence.The cordless phone was an invention that changed the communication technology landscape forever. People no longer had to sit beside a telephone to talk to someone; instead, they could pick up the phone and roam around as they pleased. As technology improved, cordless phones became more and more efficient. The invention of the cordless phone laid the base for modern communication technology.A cordless telephone can be used as a portable telephone as it is a combination of a radio transmitter, receiver, and telephone. A cordless phone consists of a base station and a portable handset. It operates on radio signals, with the help of the base station, which is connected to the phone lines. The base is attached to the phone jack with the support of a standard telephone wire. This base receives the incoming call as an electrical signal through the phone line and converts it into an FM radio signal. Then the radio signal is gets broadcasted to the handset of the cordless phone. It again converts the radio signal into an electrical signal and sends it along to the speaker. The speaker interprets the electrical impulses and converts them into a sound that we can understand.The same procedure is followed when someone talks into the handset. The sound gets converted into electrical signals by the microphone, which in turn gets converted into radio waves broadcasted back to the base of the cordless phone. The base again converts the radio waves back to electrical signals and sends them through the telephone line to the receiver.The phone’s base station also helps recharge the rechargeable battery of the cordless phone.A cordless phone combines a radio transmitter, receiver, and telephone.If you like reading about telephones and gadgets, check out other interesting articles on the first battle of bull run and famous people who died at the Alamo.History Of Cordless PhonesCordless telephones started appearing commercially in the telephone market around 1980, although the planning behind it started way back in the 1960s. The first patent of cordless telephones was submitted by George Sweigert, a radio operator in world war II, in 1966. It was only in 1977 that his patent was granted by the US.Before cordless telephones became a phenomenon in the 1980s, around the 1950s, Thomas Carter invented the Carterfone, which laid the initial foundation for the early cordless phones. This was a simple device that connected a two-way radio system to a telephone, allowing the user to move around while having a conversation.The earliest cordless phones that flooded the telephone market operated at a frequency of 27 MHz. This created some problems. Firstly, due to the low frequency of radio waves, cordless phones were operational only in a limited range. Also, at that time, due to the scarcity of digital technology, digital cordless phones had not come into existence. So, the analog systems used resulted in poor sound quality. The sounds were filled with noise and static due to the blockage of radio waves by walls and appliances. As these cordless phones only operated within a limited number of channels, the chance of intercepting a communication was very high.Only in 1986, cordless phones were granted permission to use radio waves of frequency 47-49 MHz by the FCC or Federal Communications Commission. Even though this reduced the interference problem and saved energy by allowing phones to run at lower power, the limited range issues and poor sound quality still persisted.In 1990, the FCC granted permission to run cordless phones at 900 MHz due to increased crowding. This resulted in a clearer broadcast over a longer distance and offered various channels.In the interest of security, digital cordless phones were introduced in 1994. These models worked in the 900 Mhz frequency range and decreased eavesdropping. After the DSS or Digital Spread Spectrum was introduced in 1995, it became impossible to eavesdrop on conversations because digital information was spread in parts over different frequencies between the receiver and the base.In 1998 the 2.4 GHz channel was opened for use by the FCC. This increased the distance over which cordless phones could operate and increased security by eliminating it from the range of broadcast scanners.In modern times, cordless phones have gone through a massive revamp. Not only have they become much less expensive, but they also come with a variety of features.In the years following the 1980s, voicemails were implemented in cordless phones. The technology of voicemails had come out earlier in the 1970s when voicemail systems were developed by the VMX or the Voice Message Exchange.Modern cordless devices also come with caller identification which lets you know the caller’s identity. This resulted in fewer telephone scams and the ability to ignore unwanted callers.Early cordless devices also lacked a logbook or a system that kept track of their list of calls. With the implementation of the logbook, it became easier to return missed calls and redial numbers.Cordless devices of today also come with built-in call recording features and speed dial, in which calling a loved one became easier by just assigning a small digit to them instead of typing the whole phone number.First Cordless PhoneThe first cordless phone model to have ever existed is actually the Carterfone, invented in the 1950s by Thomas Carter.Phone companies like Sony and Seimens started manufacturing cordless phones in the 1980s. These SOny devices and Seimens Gigaset SL400 have a fair resemblance to modern cordless phones.Pros And Cons Of Cordless PhonesWhile cordless phones have a number of advantages over wired phones, like better sound and security, they also come with their fair share of disadvantages. Like any other product, cordless phones have their fair share of pros and cons that the customer should be aware of.Pros of cordless phones:Freedom: Cordless phones work with the help of radio waves, as a result of which the phone handset does not need to be tied down by wires directly to the telephone lines. This allows the user to experience a certain degree of freedom while conversing with another person. They can pick up the call and talk to the other person from wherever they are comfortable.Superior sound quality: Modern cordless systems use digital signals, because of which the audio quality has improved manifold. Implementation of this technology-enabled cordless phone to have a variety of quirks like noise reduction and background sound cancellation.Multitasking: The freedom granted by using a cordless phone enables the opportunity to multitask. While on a call, someone can use one hand to hold the handset while using the other for some other task, like taking notes.Cons of cordless phones:Cost: Cordless phones are more expensive than corded phones due to the level of engineering that goes into manufacturing it.Less efficient: Cordless phones are much less energy efficient than corded phones. They always have to be charged, and there is a chance they may run out of power during a long call. Also, since they run on electricity, cordless phones cannot be used during a power outage.Possibility of dead zones: There might be areas where the reception will not be available. Using a cordless phone would be impossible as the call will get dropped in such areas.Security: It is pretty easy to intercept a conversation occurring over a radio network. Although, in recent times, that has been significantly reduced due to the digitalization of cordless phones. Due to digitalization, the information was split between various channels between the base and the receiver, and it was very hard to intercept.Easy to misplace: Cordless phones are pretty small and, if left unattended, can easily be lost by any individual.Who invented the first cordless phone?Thomas Carter invented the Carterfone in the 1950s. Though it was not known as a cordless phone, it is still considered to be the first device using radio waves for wireless communication.In 1966, George Sweigert filed for a patent for a duplex wireless communication apparatus, or the cordless phone. This patent was granted in the year 1977. Although the patent is in the name of George Sweigert, the credit for the invention of the device goes to George Sweigert and Teri Pall.In the 1980s, cordless phones started being mass-manufactured by companies like Sony, Panasonic, and Seimens. The first cordless phone model to be manufactured was the Seimens Gigaset SL400 in the 1980s.When did telephones go wireless?Telephones did not go truly wireless until mass manufacture of cordless consumer equipment was started by companies like Sony and Seimens in the 1980s.The first-ever recorded wireless telephone communication took place in 1880 with the invention of the photophone by Alexander Graham Bell and Charles Summer Tainter. They both invented and patented this device. The photophone used modulated light beams, or electromagnetic waves, to conduct audio conversations wirelessly.Two decades before the emergence of cordless phones, radiotelephony, telephone conversation without wires, started spreading when the MTS or Mobile Telecom Service went into service in 1946.The second generation of radiotelephony went active in the year 1964 when the IMTS or Improved Mobile Telecom Service became active.Then Thomas Carter invented the Carterfone in the 1950s, and based on that idea George Sweigert and Terri Pall invented the modern cordless phone. Companies like Sony and Seimens started manufacturing cordless phones based on these ideas. Slowly, due to the ease of conversation that can be attained because of cordless phones, wired telephones became obsolete.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘History of the telephone: Who made the first cordless phone?’ then why not take a look at the ‘First battle of bull run: stats, facts, winner and more’ or ‘Battle of Alamo: list of all famous people who died at the Alamo?’
Telephones have come a long way from being chunky machines tied down by wires to elegant and sleek to fit in our pockets.
