Thanks to the continuous development of modern technology, mobile phones and mobile communications have brought great convenience to our lives. Have you ever wondered who was the first person in China to apply for a mobile phone number? What number did he choose at the time?
Today, let's walk into The First Person in China to Do Mobile Phone Numbers – Xu Feng.
Owner of a seafood restaurant
At the end of the 1970s, the spring breeze of reform and opening up ushered in the real spring of development in the southern coastal cities of the mainland. The inclination and convenience of the national policy have greatly improved Guangzhou's urban development, economic growth and people's living standards.
In this context, some entrepreneurial doers with unique visions and dare to think and dare to do things have a great opportunity to show their fists in Guangzhou, and the protagonist of our story, Xu Feng, is one of them.
In the 1980s, the streets of Guangzhou often saw business owners who paid attention to the quality of life and cared about their identity "appendages". Therefore, when negotiating business and gathering relatives and friends, the grade and quality requirements for the restaurant are relatively high.
Keenly seizing this business opportunity, Xu Feng opened a high-end seafood restaurant, Nanhai Fishing Village, which is not common in local seafood restaurants.
Under the strong market demand, when such a high-end restaurant appeared in the bustling downtown neighborhood, it quickly attracted many loyal fans.
With accurate customer positioning, thoughtful service and distinctive dishes, the business of Nanhai Fishing Village is booming, and Xu Feng's wallet is getting bigger and bigger.
And Xu Feng can stand out among so many entrepreneurs and make the South China Sea Fishing Village a mythical existence, precisely because Xu Feng has a heart for change. Only those who can quickly identify market demand and have the courage to open the top of the wind boat are the people who can laugh to the end.
No matter what kind of ingredients, pay attention to eating a fresh, especially these valuable bosses, the requirements for this aspect are more stringent.
Although Xufeng's Nanhai Fishing Village makes up for the lack of high-end seafood restaurants in Guangzhou, if it cannot change in time and find innovative breakthroughs, the customer base will gradually lose.
The biggest problem Xu Feng encountered was that there was no way to buy seafood in time according to the situation in the store, and could only passively accept it.
As everyone knows, Xu Feng's sense of crisis has ushered in a major turning point in his life and the fate of the fishing village in the South China Sea.
Break through the bottleneck period of the career
Guangzhou is not a seafood producer, which means that there are not many local merchants who make money from seafood. This has brought business opportunities to Xu Feng at the same time, but also brought a great crisis.
Xu Feng originally had to contact the fishing village by telegram every time he ordered seafood ingredients. Xu Feng needed to run to the telegraph office and pass on his information. The transmission technology of the telegraph was quite complex, not only expensive, but also complicated. This communication method is very backward, from Xu Feng sending a message to the fishing village receiving Xu Feng's message, basically eight hours later.
Although fishermen catch different seafood in different seasons, they can be roughly estimated empirically. But experience cannot keep up with the rapidly changing market developments, nor can it change the stocking plan in time.
Xu Feng often thinks that if he can bypass the post and telecommunications bureau and contact the fishing village directly in real time, he can prepare the goods in time according to the situation, and he can also ensure that every diner eats the freshest ingredients in his mouth.
Xu Feng, who is well-informed, thought that when he went to Hong Kong to play many years ago, he saw many businessmen with a big man in their waists, called "Big Brother", who could "talk in the air".
If you also have a big brother, won't all the problems be solved?
However, at that time, Hong Kong had not yet returned to the embrace of the motherland, and the domestic communication conditions did not support this idea, so this idea could only be an idea.
Fate likes to favor those who know how to grasp the opportunity, Xu Feng came to Guangzhou to start a business in the second year, just in time for the sixth national games.
The Games held under the new situation of reform, opening up and invigorating the mainland were very successful, injecting fresh blood into Guangzhou and making Guangzhou's development more vigorous.
In this context, Guangdong has achieved mobile communication integration with Hong Kong and Macao compatriots who have not yet returned to the embrace of the motherland, becoming the first city in the country to build a 900MHz analog mobile phone.
Xu Feng, who heard this news, was extremely excited, because it also meant that there would be a group of big brothers in Guangzhou entering the market.
The year was 1987, and Xu Feng could never forget that on the morning of November 21, he excitedly came to the Guangzhou Municipal Post and Telecommunications Bureau in Guangdong Province, eagerly pacing back and forth in the waiting area.
Xu Feng: "Hello comrades, I heard that we have started to sell big brothers here, is it true?" ”
Staff: "Are you going to buy it?" ”
Xu Feng nodded, and the staff handed him a form and said, "You really came at the right time, the leader just informed us to start selling, you are the first!" Fill out the form and choose a number! ”
Xu Fengzai carefully filled in the identity information on the form, and then arrived at the number selection stage.
Big Brother is different from our current mobile phone, insert a SIM card can be used, but corresponding to the relevant number, using the "area code + number" as a phone number.
For example, Xu Feng chose the number in Guangzhou, the area code of Guangzhou is "9010", and the first batch of big brothers in China has a total of 100 departments, numbered from 01 to 99.
The staff said: "You are the first person in China to have a mobile phone, so you can choose all the numbers at will." ”
Xu Feng said without hesitation: "I am a businessman, what I want most in business is hair, then I will choose '88', a good color head!" ”
China, the first person to eat crabs, eventually chose "901088" as his mobile phone number.
Because Xu Feng arrived too early, the Post and Telecommunications Bureau did not know how the market would react, and before it had considered how to price this batch of big brothers, it was bought by Xu Feng. In order not to let Xu Fengbai run a trip, so that he can take the phone away on the spot, the two sides agreed that Xu Feng would bet 20,000 yuan in cash, and then refund more and make up less.
In the end, the post and telecommunications bureau finally collected 20,000 yuan for this big brother, and also collected 6,000 yuan for network access and 150 yuan for monthly rent.
Even today, in 2022, spending more than 20,000 yuan to buy a mobile phone is not a small number, not to mention that this was in 1987, which was enough to buy a decent car at that time.
"There is a big brother, walk all over the world is not afraid"
Xu Feng held the big brother in his hand, and his heart did not mention how happy he was. He had just arrived at the office and dialed the landline number with his big brother in his hand.
"Hello! Can you hear it? ”
Xu Feng spoke to the big brother, his voice came from the earpiece of the office landline, Xu Feng hung up the phone with great satisfaction, and said to his friend: "With this treasure, the business of The South China Sea Fishing Village can go to a higher level!" ”
At that time, the big brothers in the country were all produced by Motorola. Because the technology was not perfect at that time, the big brother looked like a black brick, and it was very thick and bulky to pick up, generally more than a pound.
From today's point of view, the big brother at that time was still a bit chicken ribs, because it only had one function, that is, to make calls, could not text, and had no other practical functions.
And this big brother is still a violent temper, the call quality is good and bad, in order to be able to make the call quality better, the user has to keep holding up the antenna, walking around to find the signal, the call also has to shout loudly, otherwise the other party will not be able to hear clearly. Referring to the memories of the big brothers of that era, many people who have used it still laugh and say that it is really a "mobile" phone, and it must be moved to make a call.
One of the reasons Big Brother is bulky is because it has a very large battery, but in fact, it is only enough to last 30 minutes of calls.
It is such a product that is very chicken ribs with a modern eye, which can be described as popular in the eighties and nineties, especially favored by many bosses, so that Motorola Company was unexpected.
At that time, the two most luxurious things were the same private car, and the same was the big brother. But because people generally have no concept of private cars, and many cars driving on the street are public cars, even if they drive a small car on the road, people will not care too much.
But if a person has a big brother pinned around his waist, it is definitely a dazzling status symbol, and he is cast enviously along the way. Businessmen pay the most attention to noodles, and the existence of big brothers makes them have more face, so they can have a big brother and become the identity standard of the boss who became rich first.
Whether a person is a big boss or not can be seen at a glance, because their big backs are always touching the bright and dangling hairspray, and they always hold a big brother in their hands.
At the business negotiation table, people have not yet opened their mouths, as long as the big brother is put up, the business has basically become half.
Xu Feng clamps the big brother under his armpit every day, busy in the restaurant every day, while using it to contact the fishing village, send fresh ingredients in time, while using it to show his identity and attract more big bosses to come to the store to eat.
With its unique vision, timely information, and excellent taste, the reputation of Nanhai Fishing Village among diners is getting better and better. At that time, the bosses had a unanimous saying that if they did not go to the South China Sea Fishing Village in Guangzhou, it was equivalent to a trip to Guangzhou.
Doing business is like this, surviving excellence, not surviving out. Xu Feng understands the principle of thinking of danger in times of peace, and he knows how to adhere to his original intention, which is why he can succeed.
Xu Feng seized the opportunity to take advantage of the increasing reputation of the South China Sea fishing village and opened several branches. One deployment arrangement after another was passed out in time through the big brother in his hand, so that the business in the store became more and more prosperous.
From the initial owner of the South China Sea fishing village, to the hotel owner, and finally to the chairman of a group in Guangdong, Xu Feng's life experience is legendary. And he himself became the first batch of catering entrepreneurs to get rich after the reform and opening up.
Referring to this story, Xu Feng always said: "I can have everything today, my big brother is a hero!" And my number that symbolizes the color head! ”
An interesting story
In fact, when Xu Feng used this big brother, there was also an interesting thing that made people cry and laugh.
When he first bought the big brother, one day Xu Feng suddenly found that his big brother was missing, which made him panic at once. Big Brother is not only a good helper for him to negotiate business, but also has a different kind of affection for him, what if he really loses it?
When Xu Feng was anxiously looking for big brother everywhere, he received a notice from the Guangzhou Post and Telecommunications Bureau, asking him to go to the post and telecommunications office with 500 yuan to get his big brother.
Xu Feng was very confused in his heart, how could his big brother who lost him be in the post and telecommunications bureau? Since I had it, I have not sent a telegram to the Post and Telecommunications Office.
Xu Feng, who was full of doubts, still went to the post and telecommunications office, after all, his "treasure" was there!
What Xu Feng did not expect was that his front foot had just stepped into the door of the post and telecommunications bureau, and before he could react to what was going on, the police on the back foot stepped forward, saluted and said: "Is it Xu Feng?" ”
"Yes, I am!"
The policeman handed a large black man to Xu Feng and asked, "Is this thing yours?" ”
Xu Feng looked at it, isn't this his big brother?
Getting his treasure again, Xu Feng carefully held it in his hand, and the feeling of losing and regaining made Xu Feng happy.
But Xu Feng thought about it for a moment, how could his big brother be in the hands of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau and the police?
It turned out that just a few days ago, an enthusiastic citizen picked up Xu Feng's big brother. Because this thing was not popular at that time, few people in the country used it, only some people who had the privilege of going to Hong Kong and Macao and had relatively good economic conditions recognized it, and ordinary people were not very familiar with it. Seeing a big man, the citizen thought it was the transmitter of the enemy elements, so he handed it over to the Public Security Bureau.
The police could not figure out what it was, but after examination, they found that it could not be an enemy agent, because it also said guangdong post and telecommunications bureau. Then, the Post and Telecommunications Bureau successfully determined Xu Feng's identity according to the number on the big brother, and finally returned to Xu Feng's hands.
Gradually withdraw from the market
There are many theories about the origin of big brother's name, one of which is widely recognized is related to some Hong Kong police films. In such film and television works, there are always some negative characters, that is, bad social elements. The members of these organizations are divided according to seniority, and those with older seniority are called "big brothers", so the "big brothers" in the hands of big brothers are naturally "big brothers".
And when these people appear, there will be a big brother, with black sunglasses and cigars, and the image portrayal of the villain is more in place.
With these preconceived memories, big brother's name becomes logical.
In fact, when Big Brother first appeared in the market, he did not keep technicians busy, because this big man always dropped the line, occupied the line, and sometimes even directly did not signal.
Imagine that a boss is negotiating business with a big brother bought for 20,000 yuan, and it is at a critical moment, but he finds that he can't hear the other party's words as much as he can, or even drops the line directly.
At this time, technical personnel need to be present in time to help customers carry out maintenance and debugging.
In fact, the big brother conference is so chicken ribs, not completely blame it, at that time Guangzhou's analog mobile communication base station only three, can not achieve city-wide coverage, so the transmission data is relatively limited, in the use of any problems are inevitable.
The wheel of history never stops, and the footsteps of the strivers always move forward. It is precisely because there are countless pioneers who dare to innovate and self-innovate that China has ushered in an era of rapid development.
The communications technology staff worked tirelessly, studied the technology, and constantly explored and explored on the basis of no experience, and finally used this technology for the mainland, and achieved rapid changes in a short period of time.
And the speed at which Big Brother has been eliminated by the times is far beyond our imagination.
In the 1990s, PHS gradually entered the market, and its shape was smaller and its weight was much lighter. Different from Big Brother, PHS uses micro cell technology to achieve wireless coverage through micro cell base stations, so it has made a lot of progress in signaling than Big Brother. At the same time, PHS has a new progress, that is, the addition of SMS function.
At this time, the phone number is no longer "area code + number", but a number that begins with "139".
Until the end of 2001, Big Brother officially withdrew from the stage of history, replaced by more advanced and practical mobile communication equipment. Mobile phones have gradually changed from rarity to standard equipment for ordinary people.
The rapid development of communications in China
The development of communications on the mainland has made a qualitative leap forward in the past decade.
With the advent of the 5G era, we have gradually entered the era of smart cities and smart homes. 5G can meet the diverse application scenarios of users, with the characteristics of high speed, low latency, and large connection.
The advent of the 5G era not only means faster speed, but also means that our lives will be more convenient in the future. Through the 5G signal, some manual laborers can be greatly reduced, and new teaching content can also be added to children in the classroom, combined with VR/AR/hologram and other technologies to enhance the interactivity of teaching, improve the teaching experience, and let children acquire knowledge more comprehensively and intuitively.
Of course, the advantages of 5G are also reflected in the medical field. For example, during the COVID-19 epidemic, the PLA General Hospital has joined hands with relevant units to jointly build a 5G telemedicine system, providing remote ultra-high-definition video multidisciplinary consultation, remote film reading, bedside remote consultation, remote rounds and other applications to support the treatment of critically ill patients with new crown pneumonia in Hubei and provide help to alleviate the shortage of frontline medical resources in the fight against the epidemic.
However, although the times are changing, our mobile phones are becoming more and more thin, mobile signals are becoming more and more perfect, Xu Feng's feelings for big brothers and "901088" have never changed, in the era of entrepreneurs in the era of big waves and brave struggles, he used this mobile phone to achieve great development of his career and complete a great leap in life.
But what really brings Xu Feng success is not this mobile phone, but his business acumen, good at change and discernment. And in the future, will you be the next person like Xu Feng who knows how to seize opportunities and take advantage of opportunities?