Douglas H. Ring was an engineer at Bell Labs who together with W. Rae Young proposed the idea of hexagonal cells for mobile phones in vehicles. This idea was proposed in 1947 with an internal memo written by Ring. Ring was born in Montana, March 28th, 1907 and passed away in Red Bank, NJ Sept 8th, 2000 near Bell Labs. Although this was only an idea at the time the actual technology was developed many years later. William Rae Young was the second or should I say primary “idea man” of the hexagonal cells. Ring liked his idea and credited him with suggestion the hexagonal layout. Young graduated from University of Michigan with a degree in electrical Engineering and started working at Bell Labs where he worked until retirement. Hexagonal cells refer to a geographic layout of the cell sites (antennas) that make up a cellular network. This hexagonal layout allows for wide coverage areas. Phillip T. Porter another Bell Labs employee was another influential figure in the history and development of cell phone technology. Porter proposed that the cell sites be placed at the corners of these hexagons rather than the center. These antennas would transmit in three directions into three adjacent hexagonal cells. These three men were very influential in the development of mobile phone technology; their ideas and innovations were a major stepping-stone for things to come in the future. OF course this was only a proposed idea at the time the technology remain undeveloped for many years. As with any new technology in the beginning it is expensive to develop and at the time there probably wasn’t much use for such an idea. These men were able to see their ideas come full circle in a relatively short period of time. Although Ring and Young have passed on, their contribution to what is the modern cell phone will not go unnoticed. Engineers such as them probably see their work as business as usual without noticing the monumental changes to modern society. It is incredible how just a simple idea thought up in 1947 has made such an impact on the world that the world has actually become smaller. Not literally of course but technologically speaking it’s a small world after all.
References
- Author unknown, History of Mobile Phones, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mobile_phones. April 7, 2010
- Author unknown, Douglas H. Ring, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_H._Ring. April 7, 2010
- Author unknown, W. Rae Young, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Rae_Young. April 7, 2010
- Author unknown, Cellular Network, Wikimedia Foundation Inc., 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_network. April 7, 2010
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