Mobile communications have transformed human society more profoundly than almost any other technology of the 20th and 21st centuries. What began as a bulky, expensive privilege for a handful of business executives has become a universal infrastructure layer that billions of people rely on every day — for calls, messaging, banking, navigation, entertainment, and increasingly for critical IoT systems. This article traces the evolution of cellular networks from their analog origins to the hyperconnected era of 5G.
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