You didn’t know anyone whom had a cell phone prior to 1999?
that is almost impossible to believe. Plenty of people paid $1000/mo for suitcase phones that cut out every other minute in the 80’s.
and you would’ve known someone earlier had the monopoly been broken up earlier-at which point what you posted is relevant
In 1998, less than 30% of adults had cell phones, most of them for work purposes.
96% of adults still had land line phones.