Portal:Telephones

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A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals that are transmitted via cables and other communication channels to another telephone which reproduces the sound to the receiving user. The term is derived from Greek: τῆλε (tēle, far) and φωνή (phōnē, voice), together meaning distant voice. A common short form of the term is phone, which came into use early in the telephone's history.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was the first to be granted a United States patent for a device that produced clearly intelligible replication of the human voice at a second device. This instrument was further developed by many others, and became rapidly indispensable in business, government, and in households. (Full article...)

A mobile phone (or cellphone) is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area, as opposed to a fixed-location phone (landline phone). The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Modern mobile telephone services use a cellular network architecture, and therefore mobile telephones are called cellphones (or "cell phones") in North America. In addition to telephony, digital mobile phones support a variety of other services, such as text messaging, multimedia messaging, email, Internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), short-range wireless communications (infrared, Bluetooth), satellite access (navigation, messaging connectivity), business applications, payments (via NFC), multimedia playback and streaming (radio, television), digital photography, and video games. Mobile phones offering only basic capabilities are known as feature phones (slang: "dumbphones"); mobile phones that offer greatly advanced computing capabilities are referred to as smartphones. (Full article...)

A smartphone (often simply called a phone) is a mobile device that combines the functionality of a traditional mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multimedia playback and streaming. Smartphones have built-in cameras, GPS navigation, and support for various communication methods, including voice calls, text messaging, and internet-based messaging apps. (Full article...)

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The iPhone 5 is a smartphone that was designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the 6th generation iPhone, succeeding both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, and preceding both the iPhone 5S and 5C. It was formally unveiled as part of a press event on September 12, 2012, and subsequently released on September 21, 2012. The iPhone 5 was the first iPhone to be announced in September, and setting a trend for subsequent iPhone releases, the first iPhone to be completely developed under the guidance of Tim Cook and the last iPhone to be overseen by Steve Jobs. The iPhone 5's design was used three times, first with the iPhone 5 itself in 2012, then with the 5S in 2013, and finally with the first-generation iPhone SE in 2016.

The iPhone 5 featured major design changes in comparison to its predecessor. These included an aluminum-based body which was thinner and lighter than previous models, a taller 4-inch screen with a nearly 16:9 aspect ratio, the Apple A6 system-on-chip, LTE support, and Lightning, a new compact dock connector which replaced the 30-pin design used by previous iPhone models. This was the second Apple phone to include its new Sony-made 8 MP camera, which was first introduced on the iPhone 4S.

Apple began taking pre-orders on September 14, 2012, and over two million were received within 24 hours. Initial demand for the iPhone 5 exceeded the supply available at launch on September 21, 2012, and was described by Apple as "extraordinary", with pre-orders having sold twenty times faster than its predecessors. While reception to the iPhone 5 was generally positive, consumers and reviewers noted hardware issues, such as an unintended purple hue in photos taken, and the phone's coating being prone to chipping. Reception was also mixed over Apple's decision to switch to a different dock connector design, as the change affected iPhone 5's compatibility with accessories that were otherwise compatible with previous iterations of the line. (Full article...)

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The Simon Personal Communicator shown in its charging base

The IBM Simon Personal Communicator (simply known as IBM Simon) is a handheld, touchscreen PDA designed by International Business Machines (IBM), and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric. Although the term "smartphone" was not coined until 1995, because of Simon's features and capabilities, it has been retrospectively referred to as the first true smartphone.

BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed the IBM Simon in the United States between August 1994 and February 1995, selling 50,000 units. The Simon Personal Communicator was the first personal digital assistant or PDA to include telephony features (make phone calls). The battery lasted only an hour, and flip phones became increasingly slim which led to its demise. (Full article...)

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RO' SIT

Reorder – intraLATA

VC SIT

Unassigned N11 code, CLASS code or prefix

NC' SIT

No Circuit – intraLATA

IC SIT

Intercept

IO SIT

Ineffective/Other

Future SIT

Future Use (Not Used)

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In telephony, a special information tone (SIT) is an in-band international standard call progress tone consisting of three rising tones indicating a call has failed. It usually precedes a recorded announcement describing the problem. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various telephone-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Typical mobile phone mini-SIM card (from Mobile phone)
Image 2Cellular networks work by only reusing radio frequencies (in this example frequencies f1-f4) in non adjacent cells to avoid interference (from Mobile phone)
Image 3Inserted memory and SIM cards (from Smartphone)
Image 4A text message (SMS) (from Mobile phone)
Image 5The back of a Huawei P30. It features three rear-facing camera lenses with Leica optics. (from Smartphone)
Image 61917 wall telephone, open to show magneto and local battery (from History of the telephone)
Image 7A German rotary dial telephone, the W48 (from History of the telephone)
Image 8IBM Simon and charging base (1994) (from Smartphone)
Image 9A high-capacity portable battery charger (power bank) (from Smartphone)
Image 10Historical marker commemorating the first telephone central office in New York State (1878) (from History of the telephone)
Image 11Martin Cooper of Motorola, shown here in a 2007 reenactment, made the first publicized handheld mobile phone call on a prototype DynaTAC model on 3 April 1973. (from Mobile phone)
Image 12Several BlackBerry smartphones, which were highly popular in the mid-late 2000s (from Smartphone)
Image 13Actor portraying Alexander Graham Bell in a 1932 silent film. Shows Bell's second telephone transmitter (microphone), invented 1876 and first displayed at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia. (from History of the telephone)
Image 14The master telephone patent granted to Bell, 174465, March 10, 1876 (from History of the telephone)
Image 15Smartphone with infrared transmitter on top for use as remote control (from Smartphone)
Image 16A Moto G7 Power; its display uses a tall aspect ratio and includes a "notch". (from Smartphone)
Image 17A smartphone displaying the homepage of the English Wikipedia (from Smartphone)
Image 18The HTC Desire, a 2010 smartphone with optical trackpad and search button (from Smartphone)
Image 19People using phones while walking (from Mobile phone)
Image 20Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first U.S. patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 21A sign along Bellaire Boulevard in Southside Place, Texas (Greater Houston) states that using mobile phones while driving is prohibited from 7:30 am to 9:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 4:15 pm. (from Smartphone)
Image 22Two decades of evolution of mobile phones, from a 1992 Motorola 8900X-2 to the 2014 iPhone 6 Plus (from Mobile phone)
Image 23Android smartphones (from Mobile phone)
Image 24Philipp Reis, 1861, constructed the first telephone, today called the Reis telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 25E-waste in Agbogbloshie (from Smartphone)
Image 26A smartphone touchscreen (from Smartphone)
Image 27A Meizu MX4 with Flyme OS (from Smartphone)
Image 28Antonio Meucci, 1854, constructed telephone-like devices. (from History of the telephone)
Image 29Apple iPhone smartphone (from History of the telephone)
Image 30Dupuis and Haug during a GSM meeting in Belgium, April 1992 (from Mobile phone)
Image 31Mobile payment system (from Mobile phone)
Image 32
Bell prototype telephone stamp
Centennial Issue of 1976
(from History of the telephone)
Image 33The original Apple iPhone; following its introduction the common smartphone form factor shifted to large touchscreen software interfaces without physical keypads (from Smartphone)
Image 34A New York City driver holding two phones (from Smartphone)
Image 35A user consulting a mapping app on a phone (from Smartphone)
Image 36Thomas Edison invented the carbon microphone which produced a strong telephone signal. (from History of the telephone)
Image 37"Device options" menu of Samsung Mobile's TouchWiz user interface as of 2013, accessed by holding the power button for a second (from Smartphone)
Image 38Optical track pad sensor of an HTC Legend, 2010. (from Smartphone)
Image 39Scrapped mobile phones (from Mobile phone)
Image 40Tivadar Puskás proposed the telephone switchboard exchange in 1876. (from History of the telephone)
Image 41A French Gower telephone of 1912 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (from History of the telephone)
Image 42This layout of the camera viewfinder was first introduced by Apple with iOS 7 in 2013. Towards the late 2010s, several other smartphone vendors have ditched their layouts and implemented variations of this layout. (from Smartphone)
Image 43Elisha Gray, 1876, designed a telephone using a water microphone in Highland Park, Illinois. (from History of the telephone)
Image 44Private conversation, 1910 (from History of the telephone)
Image 45Mobile payment system. (from Smartphone)
Image 46Mobile/desktop convergence: the Librem 5 smartphone can be used as a basic desktop computer (from Smartphone)
Image 47The back of a Nokia 9 PureView. It features a five-lens camera array with Zeiss optics, using a mixture of color and monochrome sensors. (from Smartphone)
Image 48Mobile phone subscribers per 100 inhabitants. 2014 figure is estimated. (from Mobile phone)
Image 49Antonio Meucci's telephone. (from History of the telephone)
Image 50A driver using two handheld mobile phones at once (from Mobile phone)
Image 51Old Receiver schematic, c.1906 (from History of the telephone)
Image 52The LG Prada with a large capacitive touchscreen introduced in 2006 (from Smartphone)
Image 53A 19th century acoustic tin can or "lovers' telephone" (from History of the telephone)
Image 54A Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, featuring a "hole-punch" camera (from Smartphone)
Image 55The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. In 1983, it became the first commercially available handheld cellular mobile phone. (from Mobile phone)
Image 561896 Telephone (Sweden) (from History of the telephone)
Image 57Tooltip in Kiwi Browser, a Google Chromium derivative, reveals the full URL by hovering over the tab list using the stylus on a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. (from Smartphone)
Image 58Personal Handy-phone System mobiles and modems, 1997–2003 (from Mobile phone)
Image 59A sign in the US restricting cell phone use to certain times of day (no cell phone use between 7:30–9:00 am and 2:00–4:15 pm) (from Mobile phone)
Image 60Active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants (from Mobile phone)
Image 61Top of cellular telephone tower (from History of the telephone)
Image 62The Nokia 9110 Communicator, opened for access to keyboard (from Smartphone)

Selected biography

Anthony Pollok (c. 1829 – July 4, 1898) was an American patent attorney who, with Marcellus Bailey, helped prepare Alexander Graham Bell's patents for the telephone and related inventions. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Edison Innocenzo Manzetti Charles Bourseul Johann Philipp Reis Antonio Meucci Tivadar Puskás Douglas H. Ring W. Rae Young Martin Cooper (inventor) Thomas Cowherd Gardiner Greene Hubbard Thomas A. Watson Elisha Gray George Sweigert Pat Fleet John Draper

Selected images

Image 1Push-button telephone
Image 2Wooden wall telephone with a hand-cranked magneto generator
Image 3Public telephone, Bucharest, Romania
Image 4Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 5A Bell Canada payphone with digital display
Image 6Android smartphones
Image 7A Funke + Huster telephone inside the Idrija Mine, Slovenia
Image 8Emergency telephones, on the Paris-Bordeaux railway line, Saint-Saviol station, Vienne, France
Image 9An example of a K6, the most common red telephone box model, photographed in London in 2012
Image 10The AUTOVON was a worldwide American military telephone system that was built starting in 1963.
Image 11Historical telephone with the German imperial eagle and the heraldic shield of the House of Hohenzollern dynasty; Vollmer's Mill, Seebach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Image 12Landline call blocking in use
Image 13Photograph of the interior of the Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Image 14A Northern Electric telephone, model number N415H, circa 1950 (probably)
Image 15Automatic electric Rotary dial telephone
Image 16An Italian gettone telefonico (telephone token) from 1945, which was used in Italian phone booths
Image 17A cordless phone
Image 18Mailbox and public telephone in Haßfurt, Germany
Image 19Telephone booth box art outside the Tower of London, 2012
Image 20Foldable smartphones
Image 21Rotary dial telephone, probably from Belgium; the circuit diagram inside is in Dutch and French
Image 22Acoustic telephone ad, The Consolidated Telephone Co., Jersey City, New Jersey, 1886
Image 23Track-side emergency brake and emergency telephones at the platform of the metro station Aspern Nord, Donaustadt, Vienna, Austria
Image 24A police box outside Earl's Court tube station in London, built in 1996 and based on the 1929 Gilbert Mackenzie Trench design
Image 25A Western Electric candlestick phone from the 1920s
Image 26A traditional North American rotary phone dial. The associative lettering was originally used for dialing named exchanges but was kept because it facilitated memorization of telephone numbers.
Image 27A historic telephone booth in Skansen, Stockholm
Image 28Apple iPhones

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v t e Telephony
Types	Landline Cable telephony Mobile phone Satellite phone Photophone
Accessories	Answering machine Caller ID
Connectivity	Cable protection system Communications satellites Fibre-optical Free-space optical ISDN Mobile phone signal POTS PSTN Submarine cables VoIP
Calls	Missed call Misdialed call Nuisance call Phone tag
Applications	Fax transmission Telephone calls Telephone newspapers Théâtrophone Video calls
Telecommunication portal Telephones portal

v t e Emergency telephone numbers
Emergency telephone Harmonised service of social value
000 (Australia) 102 (India) 106 (Australia) 108 (India) 110 (Iran, Japan, China) 111 (New Zealand) 112 (Europe and others, worldwide GSM mobile networks) 119 (parts of Asia and Jamaica) 120 (China) 122 (Austria, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) 123 (Colombia, Egypt) 128 (Mercosur member states) 190 (Brazil) 911 (Iraq, North America E-911 system, Philippines) 988 (North America Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) 999 (Bangladesh, UK and others) 1122 (Pakistan)
Telephones portal Telecommunication portal List article Category Wikimedia Commons