Freedom has its many facets, but primarily it is about empowerment with mobility. The landline telephone can give you empowerment, but it does not give you mobility, thus becoming a hindrance to freedom. Cell phones were devised to add mobility to the empowerment provided by phones. In various forms, cell phones have been around since the 2nd World War. In their earlier avatars they were devices like Mobile Radio, car phones, or the even older Mobile Telephone Service (0G) dating back to 1946. However, the evolution of cellular technology has made the cell phone into a quintessential modern and ubiquitous device.

A cell phone is an electronic communication device that can connect to other phones (cellular or otherwise) through a ‘cellular network’, an interconnected network of base stations (the cellular ‘towers’). Conversely, cell phone connectivity is possible only where the network is available – they are not truly ‘mobile’ like the Satellite phone.

Developments in miniaturization have resulted in decreasing cell phone size. Digital convergence has made the cell phone into a truly multi-functional device. Thus, today the cell phone is not merely a voice communication device. It can play music, fetch the radio, take still or moving pictures, store files, communicate with the computer or other devices – either through wires or wirelessly, send text or multimedia messages, browse the internet, and much more. Thus, the cell phone has become a symbol of modern empowerment.