Nokia Cityman
The Nokia Cityman was Nokia's first hand held mobile phone. The Motorola 8000X might have been the first mobile phone, but the Nokia or Mobira Cityman was definitely the most stylish cell phone of the 80s.
Nokia, from Finland, brought a Scandinavian love of design to the mobile phone industry. The Nokia Cityman became a desirable accessory.
The Nokia company originally made pulp, rope cable and rubber. The branch into mobile communications began in the 70s. Nokia formed a joint venture with Salora Oy to form Mobira. The original Nokia phones were branded Mobira.
Nokia's first ever mobile phone was the Mobira Senator which was made from the Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) system as early as 1982. The Nordic countries were well in advance of the UK in the development of mobile phone technology. The Mobira Cityman 900 was the first handheld mobile phone developed for the NMT system.
It was the Nokia Cityman that established Nokia's reputation for high quality, well designed and highly desirable mobile phones. The original Nokia Cityman was manufactured in three guises:
| Mobira Cityman 450 | NMT-450 |
| Mobira Cityman 900 | NMT-900 |
| Nokia Cityman 1320 | TACS |
The first two were designed for the Nordic Mobile Telephony system, NMT. There were two frequencies by 1987: 450MHz and 900MHz. The Nokia Cityman 1320, which was also marketed as the Mobira Cityman 1320, was developed for the TACS system used in the UK and other European countries.
The Mobira Cityman 450 and 900 had a different shaped buttons to the 1320 and different text on the buttons.
What distinguished the Nokia Cityman from its competitors was the design. Smaller and lighter than the Motorola 8000 series, the Nokia Cityman was packaged in a neat functional box in dark matt grey. In the 80s this style signalled high tech seriousness; think about other high end electronics such as hifi or cameras from that era.
The Nokia Cityman was also known as the Mobira Cityman. I have seen phones branded with both names.
By 1988 Nokia had 13.5% of the world's cellular phone market and 10% of the UK market. For a relatively unknown Finnish company these results were amazing.
Nokia Cityman 100
The original Cityman style stayed in the 80s. Nokia launched two new Cityman phones in 1990, the Nokia Cityman 100 and 190. The 190 was sold as the 150 from the NMT network.
Nokia Cityman values
| Model | Value |
|---|---|
| Nokia Cityman 450/900 | £100 |
| Nokia Cityman 1320 | £50 to £100 |
| Nokia Cityman 100 | £20 to £30 |
| Nokia Cityman 190 | £20 to £30 |
eBay results
| Date | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 18/10/2009 | £605 | Nokia Cityman 1320 |
| 20/10/2009 | £32 | Nokia Cityman 1320 |
| 21/10/2009 | £137 | Nokia Cityman 450 |
Nokia collectors' resources
There is a complete list on all Nokia models on Wikipedia - Nokia phones on Wikipedia. The normal caveats apply as to accuracy.
Overview of the Nordic Mobile Telephony system on Wikipedia - Nordic Mobile Telephony on Wikiepedia.
There is a pictorial history of Nokia phones from 1982 to 2004 on this Nokia timeline.
Your comments on the Nokia Cityman
"i have a mobira cityman 1320 in good cond is thare a shop inlondon or anyone how byes them" nevill baker
"Hi Nevill, Sorry I'm not aware of a shop in London that buys vintage mobile phones. If you want to get the most money for it the best place to sell it would be eBay. They go can go for around £100 these days. regards" Retrowow
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