Altai (mobile telephone system)

Lore & Background

Work on the system of automatic duplex mobile communication started in 1958 at the Voronezh Research Institute of Communications (VNIIS, now concern Sozvezdie). The system established subscriber stations and base stations for communicating with them. From a technical standpoint, Altai was fairly ordinary UHF/VHF trunked radio, but it was equipped with automatic switching circuits on both mobile and static nodes, allowing the mobile end to generate and transmit dialing signals and connect the static end to the PSTN.

Reader's Guide

The Altai system represents an early milestone in mobile telephony, predating cellular networks. It was a fully automated UHF/VHF network that allowed mobile nodes to connect to landline phones, serving government officials and emergency services before expanding to general use. Its technical design—using trunked radio with automatic switching—was a precursor to later mobile systems. The system's longevity, still in use in some places, highlights its robustness in specific contexts where its coverage and reliability outweigh those of conventional cellular networks. As a Soviet-era innovation, it parallels contemporary systems like the American Improved Mobile Telephone Service, illustrating parallel development paths in mobile communications during the Cold War.

Did You Know?

• The Altai system was first introduced in the Soviet Union in 1963.
• It was originally conceived to serve government officials and emergency services.
• Base stations were commonly mounted together with TV transmitters, sometimes sharing HF circuitry.
• The system is still in use in some places where its advantages outweigh those of conventional cellular networks.