Ameritech launched the first commercial cellular network in the United States in 1983.
Ameritech began commercial cellular service in Chicago on October 13, 1983, using the Advanced Mobile Phone System, or AMPS. The first customer call was made by Chicago mayor Harold Washington to Bob Barnett, president of Ameritech Mobile Communications.
The network followed years of development by Bell Labs and regulatory work by the Federal Communications Commission. Early cellular phones were expensive, large, and limited in capacity, so the service initially targeted business users and affluent customers.
A common mix-up is crediting the handset maker with launching the network. Motorola supplied important early cellular equipment, including the DynaTAC phone, but Ameritech operated the first commercial U.S. cellular service. Ameritech later became part of SBC Communications and ultimately AT&T.