Question from Dave L.:
What was the involvement of Matti Makkonen in the invention of text messaging? Is text messaging patented?
As a system designer for the telecom and post authority in Finland, Matti Makkonen was involved in developing mobile communications systems. The idea for text messaging began with Makkonen and two other Finish engineers in a pizzeria in Copenhagen in the summer of 1982. Patenting the idea never occurred to Makkonen and ultimately he was not paid a cent for his work.
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