The mobile, almost unlike any other device, has changed the way we work, socialise and live our lives.
But although many of us could now no longer live without our mobiles, according to Sir David Brown, Chairman of Motorola, the mobile industry had no idea how successful they would become.
Speaking at a conference in 2006, he admitted that in the mid-1980s the mobile phone industry estimated that by the year 2000, there would be a market for about 900,000 mobile phones worldwide.
When we reached the millennium, he said, 900,000 phones were being sold every 19 hours.
And although the mobile market is now mature it still continues to grow at a phenomenal pace.
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Mobile TV is being touted as the next big thing, but the killer application could be integrated personal satellite navigation.
"In the same way that we've seen a sudden explosion of satellite navigation in cars, we expect to see the same thing on mobile phones, " said Mr Bennett.
Ian Bell of the England cricket team uses his mobile phone Mobile phones could soon help you find your way around
"Tasks like finding restaurants using location-based services on the handset will start to become the norm over the next year."
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