World's first GSM call, 1 July 1991

Used with the permission of Finland's national public service broadcasting company, YLE.

Harri Holkeri, then prime minister of Finland, makes the world's first GSM call on 1 July 1991 from Esplanadi Park, Helsinki, Finland. The network was built by Telenokia and Siemens - today's Nokia Siemens Networks - for the Finnish operator Radiolinja that now operates under the name Elisa.

Today, there are over 4.4 billion GSM mobile subscriptions. GSM is the fastest growing technology in history.

TRANSCRIPT

PUBLIC ANNOUNCER
This is the first GSM call over a private operator network
It goes to Vice Mayor Kaarina Suonio in Tampere
We can all hear it via loudspeakers
This is exciting.

No noise on the line.
The GSM network is free of background noise.

We are waiting for the reply

SUONIO
Hello?

HOLKERI
Vice Mayor Suonio?

SUONIO
Yes

HOLKERI
I'm calling from Helsinki, wishing you a good summer

SUONIO
Is it Harri?

HOLKERI
Yes. We are making history. I'm calling with the new GSM network; we are the first to speak over it

SUONIO
I can hear you very well

HOLKERI
It is noise-free, like speaking to a neighbour

SUONIO
How much does this differ from a normal call?

HOLKERI
You know it

SUONIO
Yes, viewers can hear us. GSM is safe, nobody can listen-in to it.

HOLKERI
Correct. GSM is noise-free, it is the safest and the most economical network

SUONIO
It is great that you have only a SIM-card that you can change it to any phone in the system and make it your own

HOLKERI
You've learned this well

It makes us integrate to Europe and feel home everywhere

SUONIO
When will this spread outside Europe?

HOLKERI
With this pace of technology development, it will not take many years

SUONIO
Are you having a party there?

HOLKERI
Yes, I see happy faces around me. I say this is a call away from recession, and the start of new growth

SUONIO
The audience seems happy, but it may be the nice summer day

HOLKERI
We all think this will be start of a better time

SUONIO
A great advancement in technology is always a step for the better

And this has a lot of Finnish know-how in it

HOLKERI
It is great to see Finland in the front-line again
To all of you, best wishes from Helsinki, now this new European system has been taken to use

SUONIO
In the European way: Merci beaucoup, Monsieur, Au revoir!

[Missing from subtitles:
HOLKERI
(In Swedish) Thank you, too!]

PUBLIC ANNOUNCER
Thank you, we had the opportunity to see and hear the first call with our own eyes and ears.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Herra Korton]

but when was the first cordless gsm call :p

[uniteChannel]

The first handheld GSM phones came on the market a year later in 1992:)

[bydus88]

hahaha safe and secure no one can hear us.. except the governments

[Ahmed bika]

World's first GSM call, 1 July 1991

This is history :)

[nghanshing]

It all started with a nokia. Proud to be a nokia owner :)

[Justafriend]

Nokia <3

[Nelly5029]

Proud to be working for Nokia Siemens Networks!

[nateo200]

GSM probably the biggest revolution to mobilizing phones! UMTS just built on it!

[Víctor Pereira]

Hoy, 20 años, después, hay más de 4,4 millones de suscripciones GSM. GSM es la tecnología de más rápido crecimiento en la historia.

[hkarinen2]

xenover: Nothing stopping you becoming a Finn : )))

[Taavi Kala]

Finland rocks! And I'm not even Finnish :D