Cellular One

Cellular One

Brief Company History

It's a little hard to believe, but the commercial availability of a cellular phone service has been around for nearly 30 years! Cellular One, as its name implies, was in on the ground floor of this daunting new endeavor. As one of the first mobile telephone service providers, Cellular One was formeed in 1977 as a joint venture between American Radio Telephone Service and Motorola. It took them seven years before the service was actually launched. Originally only serving the Baltimore and Washington, DC areas, Cellular One has since gone on to expanding its service to 35 different states.

In the beginning, Cellular One service was based on analog TDMA technology, though they are quickly converting to a digital GSM-based network.

Over the years, the Celluar One brand has gone through several parent and partner companies. Among them are the following:

• Metromedia
• Southwestern Bell
• McCaw Communications (AT&T Wireless)
• Vanguard Cellular Systems
• SNET
• L.A. Cellular
• Western Wireless (Alltel)

Available Cell Phones

Three of the most popular cell phones available through Cellular One are:

• Motorola RAZR V3: Easily one of the most prevalent mobile handsets on the market today is the MOTORAZR. With its lovely slim profile, metallic keypad, and fashionable design, it has won over the hearts of many cell phone owners, regardless of which service carrier they choose. In fact, some variation of this mobile phone is available from just about any cell phone service provider.

• Sony Ericsson W300i: If music is more your cup of tea, you may want to consider this media-centric clamshell from Sony Ericsson. Complete with the company's trademark Walkman branding, this handset is just as much an MP3 player as it is a cell phone. Other key features on this quad-band flip phone include an external mono display, MP3 ringtones, Memory Stick Micro expansion, FM radio with RDS, JAVA MIDP 2.0, and a VGA digital camera with video.

• Nokia 6103: Another flip phone, the Nokia 6103 is fairly basic-looking and has the features to match. The stubby antenna may be a turn off for some people, but its adequate spec sheet may be enough to win over people looking for an entry-level phone. It boasts such things as a VGA camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and EDGE high-speed data.

To see what phones are available in your area (and whether your area is served by Cellular One at all), check out their official website at Celloneusa.com.