The difference is the way the network operates; the cell phone network decides when to hand you off to a new cell based upon the signal strength of your phone and the load of a given cell. That’s what makes it a cell phone; it will make and break connections to different radio towers - cells - based upon what the network decides is best for your communications.
Yes I see your point. I never worried about switching repeaters I would just switched from 5 watts to 1500 watts it got the job done LOL.
ATt/Bell labs and Motorla were both deeply involved, simultaneously, in developing the basic cell systems.
Motorola started an initiative to make a handheld cell phone which eventually came out as the MicroTAC. Cooper made the first call from a handheld cellphone (a MicroTAC prototype), to an official of AT&T, while walking down the street in Manhattan where they had a special cellsite set up.
As to the complexity of the system. Nobody realized how much computer effort would be required to get a cell site up and running. And not just a single site, but a large network of them. They had to learn the hard way just how much computing power, and how much software, would be required.
The first cell site design at Motorola revolved around a Zilog Z80 microprocessor, chosen by some low-to-mid-level project leader, because that’s what he knew at the time. Caused a small furore over in Motorola’s LSI Group when they found out their sister operation wasn’t using a Motorola micro.
As it turned out, no 8-bit processor was up to the task, although Motorola at that time had some that would have come close (IMHO).
The cellphone division was a major driver (you might say, slave driver) for increased microcomputer capability and simultaneous decreased size and power consumption. They, and their portable products brethren, beat the Micro guys unmercifully about the head and shoulders on these subjects. It started an initiative in the microcomputer/microcontroller division called “The War On Current Drain.”