Twenty-Five Years of Signal Processing Advances for Multiantenna Communications: From theory to mainstream technology

Wireless communication technology has progressed dramatically over the past 25 years, in terms of societal adoption as well as technical sophistication. In 1998, mobile phones were still in the process of becoming compact and affordable devices that could be widely utilized in both developed and developing countries. There were only 300 million mobile subscribers in the world [1]. Cellular networks were among the first privatized telecommunication markets, and competition turned the devices into fashion accessories with attractive designs that could be individualized. The service was circumscribed to telephony and text messaging, but it was groundbreaking in that, for the first time, telecommunication was between people rather than locations.

Automated summary

Wireless communication technology has made significant progress in the past 25 years, both in terms of societal adoption and technical sophistication. By 1998, mobile phones had become compact and affordable devices that could be widely used in developed and developing countries. The introduction of cellular networks and competition in the telecommunications market led to the popularity of mobile phones as fashion accessories with unique designs. This breakthrough technology allowed people to communicate with each other, rather than being limited to communicating with specific locations.