Early Systems

1921
The Detroit Police Department in 1921 implemented a radio that system allowed the patrol cars to communicate a central control point, although this system has little in common with today's sophisticated modern communications systems, it was the first mobile communications system.

1939 - 1944 (World War II)
World War II proved that the mass production of VHF radios was possible, by the end of the 1940's there seems to be little standing in the way of the development of mobile communications systems.

1946
By 1946 in St. Louis it became possible link a vehicle mounted mobile radio unit to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).

PMR & PAMR (Private Mobile Radio & Private Access Mobile Radio)
These systems were developed by during the 1950's, usually utilising vehicle mounted units. These systems are mainly used by the emergency services, public utilities, road haulage and taxi's. To start with these systems were very basic single site and single channel. However they have developed into much more complex systems, utilising multi site, multi channel, selective calling, connections PABXs/PSTN's and direct calling. (TETRA(Terrestrial Trunked Radio).

TACS (Total Access Communications System)
TACS was the first real mobile communications system*. In 1985 when this system was introduced it was mainly vehicle mounted units, but later developed into mobile units. Unlike the other systems used around the world TACS used the 900 MHz band.
* In the United Kingdom

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