The Nokia 9000 Communicator, the first smartphone in history, is 30 years old

Exactly thirty years ago, Finnish technology company Nokia launched one of its most iconic mobile devices, the Nokia 9000 Communicator, a high-end product considered revolutionary for its time and widely regarded as the world's first smartphone. The Communicator was unveiled in March 1996 at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, Germany, and officially entered the market five months later on August 15, eleven years before Apple would change the mobile phone industry forever with the release of its first iPhone. Designed primarily for executives, the Communicator had a thickness of four centimeters, weighed nearly 400 grams, double that of a modern smartphone, and cost around 10,000 Finnish marks, equivalent to approximately 2,200 euros or 2,550 dollars today. It was marketed under the slogan "the office in your back pocket," allowing users to send faxes and emails, connect to the internet via an integrated modem, and run applications similar to those found on personal computers, such as spreadsheets, electronic calendars, and word processors. Thanks to its foldable design, the phone could transform into a mini-computer equipped with a full keyboard, a monochrome screen measuring 4.5 inches, and dedicated buttons for quick access to key applications. The original model, later expanded into the 9000 series, was subsequently updated with improvements including color screens, reduced weight, enhanced processing power, and the introduction of the legendary Symbian operating system’s first version. “El Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first smartphone on the market even before the term ‘smartphone’ had been coined,” said Anssi Vanjoki, who was then Nokia’s executive vice president and head of Mobile Solutions. Symbol of innovation Despite limited sales due to its high price, the Communicator helped solidify Nokia’s global reputation as one of the most innovative mobile phone manufacturers of the era. Two years after its launch, in 1998, Nokia surpassed American company Motorola to become the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, a position it held until 2012, when it was overtaken by South Korean firm Samsung. The Finnish tech giant reached the peak of its popularity in 2007, the year in which more than 1 billion mobile phones were sold worldwide for the first time, with 40 percent of them bearing the Nokia brand. That same year, Apple introduced its first iPhone, a groundbreaking device that laid the foundation for today’s smartphone industry, based on touchscreen interfaces and app ecosystems. The commercial success of the iPhone, whose iOS operating system was quickly replicated by Google to create Android, led to the emergence of new players in the global mobile phone market, including Apple and Google themselves, as well as Asian companies such as Samsung, Chinese firm Xiaomi, and Taiwanese company HTC. However, this also marked the beginning of the decline of several historical pioneers in the field, such as Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson, and Canadian company BlackBerry (then known as RIM), which failed to adapt to the revolution brought by smartphones for various reasons. With the Communicator, the Finnish company showed the path toward the future of mobile communication, but it ultimately did not follow that path itself. In 2014, Nokia was forced to sell its mobile phone business to Microsoft for 5.44 billion euros. The Communicator’s legacy continues to influence discussions about the evolution of mobile technology, serving as a reminder of how far the industry has come since the mid-1990s. Its advanced features for the time, such as email capabilities and internet connectivity, set the stage for the modern smartphone experience. Today, the Communicator is viewed not just as a relic of the past but as a milestone in the history of mobile innovation. The anniversary of the Communicator’s debut has sparked renewed interest among tech historians and enthusiasts, who highlight its role in shaping the trajectory of mobile computing. Some experts argue that the Communicator’s failure to maintain relevance in the rapidly evolving market underscores the challenges faced by early innovators in adapting to consumer demands and technological shifts. Others emphasize the importance of recognizing the Communicator’s contributions to laying the groundwork for the smartphone era. As the mobile industry continues to evolve with advancements in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and 5G connectivity, the lessons learned from the Communicator remain relevant. Its story serves as both inspiration and caution for current and future technology leaders navigating the ever-changing landscape of mobile innovation. Nokia’s recent ventures have focused on telecommunications infrastructure and enterprise solutions rather than consumer electronics, reflecting a strategic shift away from hardware manufacturing. Meanwhile, the Communicator’s impact endures in the ongoing debate over the balance between innovation and practicality in mobile technology.