Motorola
mr601

The mr601 (model number: Mc1-41a11) was released in 1997 as a re-branded Motorola MicroTAC International 8800 for exclusive use on the UK's Orange network. The key feature of this phone was that it was the first dual band GSM phone released in the UK, being able to operate on both the GSM900 and GSM1800 bands. Initially known as the Personal Communications Network (PCN) standard, the GSM1800 band was exclusively for digital services but lagged somewhat behind the more widespread adoption and deployment of GSM900 networks. The Motorola mr601 therefore provided international roaming with customers being able to access networks in over 70 countries by the end of 1997 using the same handset. Although the mr601 could only operate one network at a time, switching between the two was easily achieved through a few key presses. The phone had a battery life of three hours talk time and 80 hours of standby time.