While innovation is often credited to evolving technology, it is rooted in the people who challenge new ideas, no matter the risk. This Women’s History Month, we are celebrating the women who have done just that. Their work has shaped history and paved the path for how we use wireless everyday – for connection, reliability, and affordability.
Randice-Lisa Altschul
Do you know what the first disposable phone was called? In 1996, Randice-Lisa Altschul invented the Phone-Card-Phone, the first iteration being about the size of a credit card made from recycled paper products. She was a toy maker who had an idea one afternoon that people might only want to use a phone for a paid amount of time and then be done with it. The idea, mixed with her creativity from inventing toys, was a step towards putting the payphone and calling cards in the rearview. It led to what we know today as the prepaid cellphone.
Donna Dubinsky
There’s no doubt that wireless innovation has made our lives significantly easier and more productive, allowing us to be more present for the things that we hold close to our heart. Donna Dubinsky was at the forefront of the movement to make technology work for us, responsible for bringing ‘Personal Digital Assistants’ (PDA) to life. With experience in development of handheld devices, she later co-founded Handspring, which was among the first companies to ever release a smartphone.
Arlene Harris
Arlene Harris earned her nickname as “The First Lady of Wireless” from a lifetime dedicated to pioneering everything wireless. From a young age, she was a visionary who saw the potential in cellphones and dedicated her life’s work to supporting that growth.
She also spent a lot of time trying to make wireless better to serve different needs. Alongside her family’s business, she helped develop Life Page. It was the first wireless health service that alerted organ transplant recipients when an organ became available. Later, her focus shifted to connecting the elderly with wireless. She co-founded GreatCall, Inc., which launched the Jitterbug phone designed to make simple and accessible cellphones for seniors.
Her accolades rightfully earned her the honor of the being the first female inductee of the Wireless Hall of Fame.
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson
Remember that time when the luxury to screen calls didn’t exist yet? In the 1970s, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson conducted research across many physics’ studies, but her studies in theoretical physics laid the foundation for the development of the caller ID and call waiting technology.
As passionate as she was about telecommunications, she was just as passionate about academia, being the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from MIT. She has since earned more than 50 honorary doctoral degrees and is continuing to inspire the next generations.
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr, although most known for her acting in the 1930’s and 40’s, left a groundbreaking legacy in how we communicate today. During World War II, she co-invented a crucial technology that allowed people to talk over a secure line without interference.
Using frequency hopping, it was used for militaries to communicate and guide torpedoes without detection. This technology became the basis for building the wireless networks we have today through spectrum frequency hopping capabilities.
Women Innovators Shaping Wireless
These are just a few of the women who have helped wireless evolve into what it is today, and their work continues to inspire and shape how we connect daily. We make wireless work for our everyday lives – from accessing healthcare solutions, connecting with loved ones, traveling, and working – and we thank these leaders in wireless for making it all possible.
