
Soviet people have always been proud of their country. Such a concept as patriotism was not an empty word for them. But after the collapse of the USSR, almost any resident of the country was convinced that mobile communications and related technologies came from abroad: Japan, Europe, the USA and even from China. Few people knew that Russia was the pioneer in the field of mobile and cellular communications. The first automatic mobile communication in the world was created and operated in the USSR. And if it were not for complete isolation from the needs of the people of the leadership of the Soviet Union, then even in Soviet times, the citizens of the country would have domestic mobile phones.
Early mobile communications developed in the USA and Europe slowly, overcoming great technical and financial difficulties. The first mobile phones, tested at the end of 40, were so cumbersome that they could barely fit in the trunk of a car. In order to call through such a device, a free radio channel and an operator serving this network were required.
Compact radio stations also appeared in the USSR in 40-ies, and during the war, Soviet designers significantly improved the existing models, which made it easy to place the "radiotelephone" equipment in the trunk of official cars of government officials. Communication was provided by a dedicated radio frequency and the work of dispatcher consoles. It was quite difficult to talk on such a phone: one of the subscribers could talk, the other only listened. In this regard, the conversation always lasted a long time and caused a lot of difficulties.
But, the Soviet designers were able to make such a phone, which was almost analogous to the executive device on the desktop. Similar designs abroad have not yet been.

The very first mobile phone was created at the Communication Research Institute of the City of Voronezh in 1958. The work was given the code name "Altai". Voronezh designers have created subscriber (telephones) and base stations (equipment that ensures stable communication between subscribers). Antenna systems for mobile communications were developed at the Moscow Research Institute, and Leningrad, Belarus, and Moldovan specialists worked on other components of the system. As a result, a unique innovative product was created - automatic mobile communication "Altai". It was a full-fledged telephone connection, working like a regular telephone. An innovation was that the system itself found a free radio channel, established a connection, transmitted a dialed telephone number and guaranteedly connected subscribers. Even the exterior design of the phone in the car was changed - instead of the dial, there were buttons. The official aristocracy was delighted with car telephones.
But still, “Altai” was not a complete cellular system: one base station was able to serve one metropolitan city and had only 16 radio channels. The antenna installed at the highest point of the terrain could provide communication only tens of kilometers around.
The American prototype of such a mobile phone was launched a year after the commissioning of the Soviet mobile system. And its commercial exploitation began in 1969.
In Russia, the "Altai" system by 1970 functioned in thirty cities! Soviet party and economic leaders used phones in their work that were placed directly in company cars. It is reasonable to assume that at this time the USSR was a leader in the development of mobile communications. But the Soviet designers did not "rest on their laurels" - they continued to improve the Altai system. New radio channels stood out in a larger range, which made it possible to serve a large number of subscribers. Due to the use of microcircuits, subscriber stations became smaller in size - they could be carried in a small suitcase. The Moscow base station of the Altai system, located in the premises of the Ostankino television tower, showed its best side when serving the 80 Olympiad.

But during the operation, the system’s drawbacks were revealed. For example, the quality of communication is very dependent on the location of the car with a mobile phone. Therefore, the designers have developed a layout of base stations, taking into account the overlap of neighboring territories. And although the Soviet engineers were ready to execute the developed project, they did not receive an order for execution from the country's leadership.
The Altai system corresponded well with the existing hierarchy of the authorities: the head had the opportunity to simultaneously speak with several subordinates (now this method is called a conference call). Each boss had his rights and opportunities of work as a subscriber of a mobile network. Some could call anywhere in the world, others only to the phones of a particular city, a specific organization or a specific subscriber. But most of the country's citizens were not available to use mobile communications. The country's leadership was in no hurry to share with the people such a luxury item as a mobile phone.
Designers and engineers were ready to work on new generation communication system equipment. They even gave the name of this system "Volemot" (the abbreviated name of the cities where there were development teams - Voronezh, Leningrad, Molodechno, Ternopil). The new system provided for the placement of a large number of base stations. Switching from one station to another took place during the movement instantly and imperceptibly for the subscriber. This function allowed to consider "Volemot" already a full-fledged cellular communication system.
But the country's leadership considered that people's access to cellular communications posed a threat to “state security” (although it could be easily heard without encrypting the signal). Financing of the project was suspended indefinitely. In the West, at this time, cellular communications gained popularity. By 1980, the leadership of the USSR in the development of a new generation of mobile communications was irretrievably lost.
In 1991-1992, the first NMT-450 cellular operators appeared in Leningrad and Moscow. The prices for this service were very high and the coverage area was limited. And although many citizens could not afford to pay for mobile communication, access to this type of communication was open to all.
There was a place for the systems "Altai" and "Volemot". They were used when reliable and inexpensive mobile communication with a large coverage area was needed. These systems allowed the possibility of connecting a special device that encrypted the conversation and it was practically impossible to listen. Until now, the network "Altai" and "Volemot" are used in many cities and towns of Russia. Usually they are called "trunk". They adequately serve in various professional areas: from taxis to emergency medical care.
By the end of the 90-ies, conventional mobile phones (GSM standard) have become more reliable, and most importantly miniature. And it turned out to be the decisive factor that led to the users rejecting “Volemotov” and “Altaev” in favor of small tubes. Despite this, in some remote areas of Russia, you can connect to the network "Altai" or "Volemot", which work quite stably.
Materials used:
http://maxpark.com/community/4057/content/1809324
http://www.izmerov.narod.ru/okno/index.html
http://www.livejournal.ru/themes/id/13773