The telephone has undergone a remarkable transformation from its origins as a fixed-line analogue device to today’s mobile and internet-based systems that form the backbone of global communication. This review traces the historical progression of telephony, beginning with the invention and expansion of circuit-switched fixed-line networks, through the generational evolution of mobile systems from 1G to the emerging vision of 6G, and culminating in the rise of internet-based platforms such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Unified Communications (UC). Each stage reflects not only technical innovation but also broader socioeconomic shifts, with implications for infrastructure, spectrum management, security, sustainability, and user behaviour. The analysis highlights how engineering responses to challenges such as noise, capacity, and scalability have shaped telephony’s evolution, while identifying future directions in satellite telephony, artificial intelligence, quantum communication, and immersive extended reality (XR). By synthesising historical, technical, and forward-looking perspectives, this review underscores telephony’s continued role as a driver of technological advancement and its enduring relevance to telecommunication engineering in the twenty-first century.

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