Martin Cooper
Award Name : Marconi Prize
Year of Award : 2013
Award for : Science and Engineering
Location : Del Mar, California, United States
Martin "Marty" Cooper (born December 26, 1928) is an American engineer. He is a pioneer and visionary in the wireless communications industry. With eleven patents in the field, he is recognized as an innovator in radio spectrum management.While at Motorola in the 1970s, Cooper conceived the first handheld mobile phone (distinct from the car phone) in 1973 and led the team that developed it and brought it to market in 1983.He is considered the "father of the cell phone" and is also cited as the first person in history to make a handheld cellular phone call in public.
Cooper is co-founder of numerous successful communications companies with his wife and business partner Arlene Harris; also known as the "first lady of wireless."He is co-founder and current Chairman of Dyna LLC, in Del Mar, California. Cooper also sits on committees supporting the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the United States Department of Commerce.He received Marconi Prize in 2013.