On This Day in Telephone History September 11TH 1946 The first mobile long distance car-to-car telephone conversation. Alton Dickieson and D. Mitchell from Bell Labs, along with future AT&T CEO H.I. Romnes, were part of a team that worked more than a decade to create what they termed a “primitive wireless network” capable of transmitting phone calls. Initially just a huge “party line” (subscribers had to listen for someone to be on the line before placing a call), the network was used sparingly, as it could not handle large volumes. It was also much less than “mobile,” as the required equipment weighed in at 80 pounds.

On This Day in Telephone History September 11TH 1946

by

On This Day in Telephone History September 11TH 1946 The First Mobile Long Distance Car-to-Car Telephone Conversation. Alton Dickieson and D. Mitchell from Bell Labs, along with future AT&T CEO H.I. Romnes, were part of a team that worked more than a decade to create what they termed a “primitive wireless network” capable of transmitting phone calls. Initially just a huge “party line” (subscribers had to listen for someone to be on the line before placing a call), the network was used sparingly, as it could not handle large volumes. It was also much less than “mobile,” as the required equipment weighed in at 80 pounds.