EPISODE · Oct 29, 2023 · 30 MIN
Very first cell phone call: meet the man who made it ... and the engineer who helped make it happen
from TechFirst with John Koetsier · host John Koetsier
It all started with a stolen car. In 1983 Chicago resident David Meilahn's car was stolen. He bought a new one, a Mercedes Benz 280SL 2-seater. But then he needed to replace his old radio-phone ... and the sales rep told him there was something new: a cellular phone. He was one of the first few to be selected, then won a race to place the very first commercial cell phone call, which ended up being from Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, to Alexander Graham Bell's grand-daughter in Germany. This is his story, along with the story of Stuart Tararone, the AT&T engineer who helped build that system and still works for the company to this day.
What this episode covers
It all started with a stolen car. In 1983 Chicago resident David Meilahn's car was stolen. He bought a new one, a Mercedes Benz 280SL 2-seater. But then he needed to replace his old radio-phone ... and the sales rep told him there was something new: a cellular phone. He was one of the first few to be selected, then won a race to place the very first commercial cell phone call, which ended up being from Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, to Alexander Graham Bell's grand-daughter in Germany. This is his story, along with the story of Stuart Tararone, the AT&T engineer who helped build that system and still works for the company to this day.
NOW PLAYING
Very first cell phone call: meet the man who made it ... and the engineer who helped make it happen
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m