Telephone, mobile telephone

The Mobira Cityman mobile phone was launched in 1987 by the Finnish company Nokia. It was the first hand-held phone for use in the Nordic countries, and set new standards for lightness. Until the release of the Cityman, portable phones were typically installed in cars.

As the name suggests, mobile phones were associated with the business world. They also became identified with international politics. The Cityman was nicknamed ‘the Gorba’ after Mikhail Gorbachev was photographed using one in 1987. The Soviet President made a call on a Cityman from Helsinki to his communications minister in Moscow.

This Cityman Model 1320 was designed for the Total Access Communication System (TACS) used in the UK and other European countries. This has now been superceded by the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).