Pointer (wireless phone)
Encyclopedia
Pointer was a mobile phone network of Finnish
Posti- ja telelaitos (now TeliaSonera
Finland) for a short time on the 1980s. The technology was similar to usual cordless phones, which could be used on hotspot
s around Finland, at least to make calls. Pointer phones lacked roaming
capability. A sign on the wall would show the passers-by that there was a Pointer hotspot available.
There were hotspots on mail offices and there were probably plans to build more of them. When Pointer service was published, however, the NMT
phones were beginning a rapid rise in popularity and displaced the Pointer before it had time to establish.
There still exist some signs (see picture) showing that there was an availability of Pointer service, e.g., in Helsinki on a wall of a mail office on the Mechelininkatu street .
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Posti- ja telelaitos (now TeliaSonera
TeliaSonera
TeliaSonera AB is the dominant telephone company and mobile network operator in Sweden and Finland. The company has operations in other countries in Northern, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Spain, with a total of 150 million mobile customers...
Finland) for a short time on the 1980s. The technology was similar to usual cordless phones, which could be used on hotspot
Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider...
s around Finland, at least to make calls. Pointer phones lacked roaming
Roaming
In wireless telecommunications, roaming is a general term referring to the extension of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Roaming ensures that the wireless device is kept connected to the network, without losing the...
capability. A sign on the wall would show the passers-by that there was a Pointer hotspot available.
There were hotspots on mail offices and there were probably plans to build more of them. When Pointer service was published, however, the NMT
Nordic Mobile Telephone
NMT is the first fully automatic cellular phone system...
phones were beginning a rapid rise in popularity and displaced the Pointer before it had time to establish.
There still exist some signs (see picture) showing that there was an availability of Pointer service, e.g., in Helsinki on a wall of a mail office on the Mechelininkatu street .