Ask your family or people in the neighbourhood how they sent long-distance messages before mobile phones were introduced. What has been their experience of using the first telephone or mobile phone?
Before mobile phones were introduced, people sent long-distance messages through various methods.
Letters and postcards were the primary means of written communication, taking days or weeks to reach recipients.
Telegrams were used for urgent messages, where messages were transmitted electronically and delivered by hand.
Landline telephones were available in limited numbers, often in public booths or STD/ISD booths where people paid to make calls. People had to book trunk calls in advance for long-distance communication.
The first mobile phones were expensive, bulky, and had limited coverage. Call rates were very high (up to ₹17 per minute in the 1990s), and even incoming calls were charged.
The experience of early mobile users involved limited functionality compared to today's smartphones.
Explanation
The chapter shows the evolution of communication through Fig. 7.25 and the timeline in Fig. 7.23. It mentions that in the 1990s, mobile calls cost up to ₹17 per minute with charges for incoming calls too. Today, India has some of the world's cheapest rates, showing how communication infrastructure has evolved dramatically.
Solution Steps
Letters and postcards were the primary means of written communication, taking days or weeks to reach recipients
Telegrams were used for urgent messages, transmitted electronically and delivered by hand
Landline telephones were available in limited numbers in public booths or STD/ISD booths
Trunk calls had to be booked in advance for long-distance communication
First mobile phones were expensive, bulky, and had limited coverage
Call rates were very high (up to ₹17 per minute in the 1990s) with incoming calls also charged
Early mobile users experienced limited functionality compared to today's smartphones