Introduction To Line Telecommunications
    
   
   
 
 

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2. History
  2.1 - The Invention of the Telephone
  2.2 - The Developement of Telecoms Network
  2.3 - The Rise of Private Telephone Systems
2.4 - The Dawn of Alternative Networks
2.5 - Milestones in Telecommunications

2.5 Milestones In Telecommunications

500 BC Greeks used signal fires
1100s Genghis Khan used carrier pigeons
1250 Signal flags in use by ships
1753 Electrical transmission of signals proposed by unknown author
1767 Richard Lovell Edgeworth invents six shutter signalling system used to transmit racing results
1774 Static electricity system trialed by G L le Sage
1785 Static electricity system trialed by Lombard
1792 Semaphore system introduced in France by Chappe
1795 Static electricity system trialed by Don Salva
1796 Voltaire invents the electric ‘pile’ (dry cell battery)
1806 Samuel Vaughn set up a 35 wire telegraph system
1820 Oersted demonstrates the link between electricity and magnetism
1837 Sir Charles Wheatstone and Sir William Cooke patent a five needle telegraph system
1837 First Wheatstone-Cooke system installed on the Great Western Railways line between Euston and Camden Town
1837 Samuel Morse develops Morse code
1843 Concept of facsimile proposed
1845 Telegraph used to transmit a news report for the first time by the Morning Chronicle
1849 First international telegraph link between Austria and Prussia
1851 Submarine cable laid between Dover and Calais
1852 The case for State control of the telegraph was stated
1858 Transatlantic cable laid to Newfoundland. This broke a few weeks later
1863 The Telegraph act (1863) is passed
1865 New transatlantic cable laid
1870 All telegraph systems come under State control
1870 Cable laid to Bombay, Singapore, Darwin and Shanghai
1876 The telephone is invented by Alexander Graham Bell
1878 Alexander Graham Bell demonstrates the telephone to Queen Victoria
1878 First commercial exchange opened in New Haven
1879 First UK exchange opened at 36 Coleman Street, London
1880 The Post Office begin opening exchanges
1881 Telephones come under the Telegraph act and the Post Office take over the control of granting licences
1885 American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) incorporated.
1887 French national telephone system taken over by the State
1889 Almon Brown Strowger invents the automatic telephone switch
1889 The telephone companies are combined to form the National Telephone Company
1889 Danish national telephone system taken over by the state
1890 London and Birmingham linked by trunk lines
1891 London and Paris linked by trunk lines
1892 First commercial automatic exchange opened in La Porte, Indiana
1892 All trunk lines come under Post Office control
1895 London, Glasgow, Dublin and Belfast linked by trunk lines
1899 Law passed to allow towns to operate their own telephone networks. Brighton, Glasgow, Hull, Portsmouth and Tunbridge Wells take out licences
1912 National Telephone Company taken over by the State
1912 Post Office take over all telephone networks except Hull and Portsmouth
1912 First UK automatic exchange opened in Epsom
1914 Portsmouth taken over by the Post Office
1918 First UK Strowger exchange opened in Leeds
1924 France introduce first public facsimile system
1927 First radio link for telephone traffic came into service
1927 First director exchange open in London
1929 Rural automatic exchanges begin installation
1930 International facsimile service from London to Berlin
1934 Transatlantic facsimile service
1950s Reed switches increase reliability and reduce size
1954 Telex network created
1958 Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) introduced
1960s Automatic control systems improved by new electronics developments
1960s Semiconductor technology introduced. Digital technology developed.
1963 International Direct Dialling (IDD) to Paris
1965 Telecom Tower opened in London
1970s Digital technology introduced
1971 IDD to New York
1976 Last manual exchange closed
1979 Full STD becomes available
1979 Integrated Services Digital Network concept defined
1984 UK Telecommunications market deregulated

Since deregulation there has been an explosion in the number of products and services becoming available to the customer. ISDN is now common, with BRI ISDN even viable for the home-worker and small office. The ISDN revolution being instrumental to the imminent convergence of data and voice, which will lead to further combined data and voice products and services over the coming years.

 

 

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Extracted from

Introduction To Line Telecommunications
Copyright Panasonic Business Systems UK Ltd 2000