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September 28, 2021
The museum launches in November and is dedicated to showcasing the evolution of mobile phones from 1984 onwards
A museum dedicated to depicting the history of the mobile phone is set to launch in November.
The Mobile Phone Museum will feature more than 2,000 unique handsets from 200 different manufacturers and is founded by industry veterans Ben Wood and Matt Chatterley.
Mobile network operator Vodafone will sponsor the museum, after striking a five-year sponsorship deal.
It will showcase the evolution of mobile phones from 1984 to the present day, from the very first “portable” devices to the latest smartphones.
Although the museum will be online, physical pop-up exhibitions are planned in the future.
Speaking to Mobile News, Wood, who is also chief analyst at CCS Insight, said: “We wanted to reach as many people as possible with this museum, so going online will expand the research to a global scale.”
Historic
The idea for the Museum was first coined in 2004, with Wood and Chatterley joining forces in 2019 to set the ground work for the vision to take place.
As well as Vodafone supporting the Museum through the long-term partnership, CCS Insight has also provided financial donations to support the venture. Genuine Solutions also helped to store the phones prior to the launch.
Wood adds that the partnership with Vodafone will direct the museum to a wider audience.
“I’ve been collecting phones for more than 25 years. Over the last three decades the mobile phone has become part of the fabric of society and the design diversity, from early transportable phones to the latest smartphones with flexible displays, is something to behold.
“When the online museum launches later this year, we want it to be a rich learning resource and a way to inspire young people to go on to create incredible mobile innovations of their own in the future.”
Vodafone UK consumer director Max Taylor added: “Our smartphones are now at the very centre of our world, and this is a fitting celebration of the role they play.
“We hope that by supporting Ben and Matt’s unique museum collection – the most comprehensive collection anywhere in the world – we’ll be able to help people reminisce about the devices they’ve had over the years, and get excited about what devices might be able to do for them in the future.”