Mobile phones go handheld in 1987

The original mobile phones were heavy, bulky and usually permanently installed in cars.

But 1987 saw a breakthrough: Nokia launched the Mobira Cityman, the first handheld mobile phone for NMT networks and a model that was to become a classic.

Seal of approval

Nokia’s mobile phones got a big publicity boost in 1987, when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was pictured using a Cityman to make a call from Helsinki to his communications minister in Moscow. This led to the phone’s affectionate nickname of the "Gorba".

Vital statistics

The Mobira Cityman 900 weighed 800 grams and had a price tag of 24,000 Finnish Marks (approximately EUR 4,560).