Wireless Communications: Present and Future

The Special Issue of Wireless Communications: Present and Future discusses the evolution of wireless communication. In 1896, Guglielmo Marconi developed the first wireless telegraph system, when he used his system for transmitting the first wireless signals across the Atlantic between Poldhu, Cornwall, and St. John's, Newfoundland, a distance of 2,100 miles. Amplitude modulated (AM) radio began with the first experimental broadcast in 1906 by Reginald Fessenden. In 1947, the transistor was invented by scientists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. Radar can be traced back to the work of Heinrich Hertz in the late 19th century that showed that radio waves were reflected by metallic objects. The GPS (global positioning system) project was developed in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems. In the United States, engineers from Bell Labs began work on a system to allow mobile users to place and receive telephone calls from automobiles, leading to the inauguration of mobile service on 17 June 1946.