Free Early Mobile Phone Photos, 2003–2008

A free collection of 145 photographs documenting the early spread of mobile phones, taken between 2003 and 2008 by Ken Banks during travels across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. They show phone shops and street advertising, handsets and SIM cards, phone-charging and payphone businesses, mobile masts, and people calling and texting in places including Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Brazil, the UK and the US, when mobile was only beginning to reach many communities.

The photographs are free to use for non-commercial purposes, including by non-profits, NGOs, students, researchers and news organisations. Please read the terms of use before using any image, and make any commercial enquiries through the Contact page.

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Terms and conditions of use

Photographs remain the copyright of kiwanja.net and may be used whole, or edited/cropped as required. Images are for strictly non-commercial use and must not be adapted in any way which alters their original meaning and/or context. Any commercial enquiries can be made through the Contact page of this site. Where individual images are used they must carry the citation Ken Banks, kiwanja.net and the reference/citation must be hyperlinked to kiwanja.net/photos whenever and wherever possible. If you do not agree with these terms and conditions of use then please do not use any of the images. General enquiries, or requests for larger or higher resolution versions of images, can be made through the Contact page.

The collection

Historical mobile images

Check out our gallery of mobile-related photographs below for use by researchers, students, technology news sites and non-profit organisations. The majority of these were taken during my early travels and represent some of the earliest photos that document the emergence of mobile technology across the African continent.

Please cite Ken Banks, kiwanja.net when using any of these photographs.

Person on a mobile phone below a tram stop sign at night, Germany — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a mobile phone and diary above a wooden desk, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Person sending a text message above a newspaper, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Three people sitting together sending and reading text messages, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Man in an orange shirt texting on a mobile phone, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Nokia phone showing 1 message received on a San Francisco street — Photographed in January 2007.

Nokia phone screen showing 1 message received, held over a newspaper, San Francisco — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a mobile phone with a green screen outdoors, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a mobile phone beside a car, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Woman in sunglasses looking at her mobile phone under trees, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a black mobile phone outdoors, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a silver mobile phone outdoors, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand texting on a black mobile phone, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in December 2006.

Man in a cap sitting in an armchair using his mobile phone, Nigeria — Photographed in August 2006.

Man in a checked shirt looking at his mobile phone, Nigeria — Photographed in August 2006.

Two men sitting on steps using mobile phones, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Hands holding a slim mobile phone outdoors, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Hands typing a text message on a mobile phone, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Two men texting on mobile phones in a minibus, Kenya — Photographed in June 2008.

Hand holding a black and silver Nokia mobile phone, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Smiling man in a blue shirt reading his mobile phone, India — Photographed in March 2005.

Hand texting on a mobile phone in front of a T-Punkt sign, Germany — Photographed in January 2007.

Roadside sign for a Nokia 1200 'Ka-torchi' promoting the light, Uganda — Photographed in December 2007.

Celtel Top Up Here sign outside a cafe in Masindi, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Street sign for The Giant Phone Technician mobile repair services, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Billboard reading Embrace One Network with a map of Africa, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Billboard with a map of Africa above a busy street advertising One Network for Africa, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Celtel advertising board with prices, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Phone charging stall in a local market with handsets plugged in, and attendant, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Yellow wooden MTN phone kiosk in a village, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Two women behind a counter of mobile phones for sale in Kampala, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Mobile phone operators in yellow bibs under an umbrella, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Corrugated metal phone shop hut with a hand-painted Vodacom sign, South Africa — Photographed in October 2003.

Yellow MTN phone shop kiosk, South Africa — Photographed in April 2003.

Samsung Helio phone advertisement on the side of a building, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Verizon Wireless billboard reading America's Most Reliable Network, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Illuminated Verizon Wireless advertisement reading Pick Your Flavor, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

T-Mobile shop sign in San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Verizon Wireless shop front with a cyclist passing, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Cingular Wireless shop front in San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Glass display case of early mobile phones with information labels, USA — Photographed in January 2007.

Advertising column showing a BlackBerry phone in a public hall, Nigeria — Photographed in September 2006.

Large billboard advertising Nokia mobile phones above a street, Nigeria — Photographed in September 2006.

Roadside Glo mobile network advertising sign, Nigeria — Photographed in October 2006.

Street billboard advert for BlackBerry from Glo, Nigeria — Photographed in September 2006.

Roadside stall with a mobile phone advertising board, Mozambique — Photographed in May 2007.

Vodafone Passport promotional display in London — Photographed in June 2007.

Giant silver hand holding a Samsung phone at London Heathrow Airport, UK — Photographed in April 2007.

Billboard advertising a mobile phone on a London street, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Shoppers browsing a wall of mobile phone accessories in London, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Illuminated mobile network ad in an airport reading One Sun One Network, Kenya — Photographed in December 2008.

M-PESA advertisement reading Send PESA by phone, Kenya — Photographed in June 2007.

Dorado Mobile sign advertising a range of mobile handsets — Photographed in June 2007.

Pink Motopower mobile phone charging kiosk with a man standing beside it, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Street advertisements for the Motorola SLVR phone, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Colourful One India mobile phone billboard, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Airtel billboard with Tamil text, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Illuminated Mobilcom mobile phone shop at night, Germany — Photographed in January 2007.

O2 mobile phone shop with a large advertisement, Germany — Photographed in January 2007.

Telephone shop front with green posters in the window, Brighton, UK — Photographed in April 2007.

Mobile phone centre displaying O2, Orange and T-Mobile signs in Brighton, UK — Photographed in April 2007.

Independent mobile phone shop with a striped awning in Brighton, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Shoppers outside a Vodafone shop in Brighton, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Orange mobile phone shop front in Brighton, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Mobile phone shops on a busy street in Brighton, UK — Photographed in March 2007.

Portuguese sign advertising a room for rent with mobile number, Brazil — Photographed in June 2008.

Smiling woman holding a sausage to her ear in front of a Vodafone display, Germany — Photographed in January 2007.

Vodafone phone recharging stand in a public space, London — Photographed in June 2007.

Public mobile phone recharging station, USA — Photographed in May 2007.

GPRS data card inserted in the side of a laptop, UK — Photographed in January 2007.

Mobile phone mast towering above a town, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Technician repairing a mobile phone at a repair stall, Uganda — Photographed in May 2007.

Customer using a payphone at a yellow phone kiosk, Uganda — Photographed in February 2008.

Mobile phone operators wearing yellow bibs in a crowd, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Yellow bucket hat printed 200/- Per unit worn by a phone operator, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Yellow MTN-branded mobile payphone bikes on a busy street, Uganda — Photographed in May 2007.

Mobile phone mast beside a building under construction, Uganda — Photographed in September 2007.

Mobile phone and charging cable connected to a car battery, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Yellow bicycle carrying a mobile 'payphone' and a price board and battery, Uganda — Photographed in September 2007.

Mobile phone mast silhouetted against an orange sunset sky, India — Photographed in March 2005.

Nokia phone lying on a handwritten notebook beside a pen, South Africa — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a Nokia phone above a handwritten notebook, Mozambique — Photographed in January 2007.

Mobile phone connected to a portable solar panel charger, Kenya — Photographed in February 2008.

Two men using mobile phones in a rural field, Philippines — Photographed in March 2005.

Child holding up a yellow MTN Payphone/Grameen Village Phone poster, Uganda — Photographed in December 2007.

Public payphones beside a phone-card vending machine — Photographed in May 2007.

Smiling woman holding up SIM card packs, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Woman holding up a SIM card pack, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Red Celtel SIM card in its packaging, Uganda — Photographed in May 2007.

Red payphone with a numeric keypad, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Green and yellow public telephone booth outside a stone building, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Two men reading papers together outside a thatched hut, Kenya — Photographed in June 2008.

Two men sitting outdoors reading documents together, Kenya — Photographed in June 2008.

Prepaid top-up card lying on Indian rupee banknotes, India — Photographed in February 2007.

Hutch and Airtel prepaid SIM cards, India — Photographed in February 2007.

SIM card shown against a beach advertisement reading 'Make a Start', India — Photographed in February 2007.

Hutch prepaid SIM card pack with the SIM card, India — Photographed in February 2007.

Nokia mobile phone screen showing the Flickr website, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Hand holding a camera phone in Estonia — Photographed in February 2007.

Visitors at the Grand Canyon, one using a mobile phone camera, USA — Photographed in December 2006.

Stylised doll statues, one holding a mobile phone, in Universal Studios, USA — Photographed in February 2006.

Mobile phone mast with antenna arrays against a blue sky, Canada — Photographed in May 2007.

Mobile phone mast above a small coastal town with boats, Brazil — Photographed in June 2008.

Mobile phone mast sitting high in a rainforest, Brazil — Photographed in June 2008.

Hand holding a black Spice mobile phone in front of a Spice stand, Mobile World Congress, Barcelona — Photographed in February 2008.

Hand holding a Motorola C113 in front of a market stall selling eggs, Uganda — Photographed in December 2007.

Business owner holding up a Grameen Village phone (Motorola C113), Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Mobile-powered 'desk phone' with keypad and display outside a market shop, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Collection of used mobile phones of different makes and models, UK — Photographed in June 2007.

Smiling man holding up a silver mobile phone — Photographed in May 2007.

Woman holding up a slim mobile phone outdoors — Photographed in May 2007.

Nokia phone connected to the Safaricom network, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Sony Ericsson phone and charger sitting on a bedside table, USA — Photographed in October 2008.

Motorola RAZR sitting on a nightclub table, Palo Alto — Photographed in June 2006.

Sharp GX20 flip phone at Google's HQ, Menlo Park, USA — Photographed in January 2007.

Second-hand mobile phones laid out for sale on a market stall, India — Photographed in February 2007.

Carpenter holding a white mobile handset above his tools, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Slide-open mobile phone showing a skiing photo beside a one pound banknote — Photographed in January 2007.

Nokia N-Gage mobile gaming phone, Palo Alto — Photographed in January 2007.

Samsung mobile phone on a table beside papers — Photographed in January 2007.

Close-up of a mobile phone keypad showing numbers and letters — Photographed in January 2007.

Nokia mobile phone with a navigation key lying on a wooden surface — Photographed in January 2007.

Close-up of the keypad of a black Nokia mobile phone — Photographed in January 2007.

Close-up of the keys of a silver Nokia mobile phone — Photographed in January 2007.

Close-up of the silver keypad of a Nokia 6100 resting on a bench — Photographed in January 2007.

Close-up of a dark blue mobile phone keypad on a wooden surface — Photographed in January 2007.

Black and silver mobile phone lying on dry leaves — Photographed in January 2007.

Nokia 6100 mobile phone sitting on a desk, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Men standing beside a village phone price board, Uganda — Photographed in August 2007.

Man talking on a mobile phone beside the water, seen from behind, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Man in glasses and a hoodie talking on a mobile phone by the water, San Francisco — Photographed in December 2006.

Man talking on a mobile phone outdoors, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Woman in sunglasses talking on a mobile phone outdoors, Palo Alto, California — Photographed in January 2007.

Photographed in September 2006.

Man in glasses talking on a mobile phone, Nigeria — Photographed in August 2006.

Smiling woman with glasses talking on a mobile phone, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Woman in a red football shirt talking on a mobile phone, Kenya — Photographed in May 2007.

Man in a dark hat talking on a mobile phone, Jamaica — Photographed in February 2006.

Man on a mobile phone looking out through window bars, Jamaica — Photographed in January 2006.

Smiling man in a blue checked shirt making a call on a mobile phone, India — Photographed in March 2005.

Man holding a mobile phone to his ear outdoors, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Woman making a mobile phone call beside a parked scooter, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Man talking on a mobile phone by the sea, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Man in a cap on a mobile phone call by the sea, India — Photographed in January 2007.

Elsewhere

More photographs on Flickr

Our Flickr site contains more general images, but is still worth a look if you’re after something a little different.

Mobile World Congress 2012

Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest mobile exhibition and conference featuring CEO’s from global mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners. This Flickr set contains over 100 free-to-use photographs taken at the 2012 event.

Flickr

kiwanja’s Flickr pages host a range of photographs, mostly taken as an ongoing hobby. Earlier images include pictures of Stanford University, parts of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, various road trips and other random photos.

Mindful social change

Free Early Mobile Phone Photographs

Historical mobile images

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