Alcatel One Touch Easy db mobile phone, manufactured by Alcatel, Europe, 2000-2002

Released in 2000, the Alcatel One Touch Easy db was a 2G mobile phone, supported by the GSM standard. 2G digital cellular networks made Text messages, picture messages and multimedia messages possible, creating a whole new way for people to communicate. It had a monochrome screen that could display three lines of text of 12 characters per line. During the 1990s mobile phones rose in popularity as they became smaller and more portable. The decade saw a shift in how mobile phones were marketed, moving away from being a tool for business to being a mass consumer product. Owners could choose from 9 colours, including Atoll Blue and Havana Brown. Unlike other phones on the period, the One Touch Easy db was notable for being able to operate using AAA alkaline batteries alongside the rechargeable NiMH battery.

GSM which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, was a European standard for early digital mobile networks, meaning that mobile phone users could use their phones across the whole of Europe without having to buy a new handset in every country. First deployed in 1991, a key feature of GSM was the Subscriber Identity Module, commonly known as a SIM card. By the mid-2010s, GSM became the global standard for mobile communications operating in over 193 countries and territories.