The First Transatlantic Telephone Cable System - Linking the Old and New Worlds

摘要

In 1956, but some ninety years after the laying of the first submarine telegraph cable across the Atlantic, the first submarine telephone cable was brought into use, providing 36 reliable and clear voice channels. Two different cable systems were involved, one linking Scotland with Newfoundland and the other Newfoundland with Nova Scotia. On the 50th anniversary of the completion of the cable system, this article provides an overview of the project as seen by a member of the British project team. It outlines the problems that arose not only with the provision of the cable systems but also the problems that arose due to the linking of the often-incompatible telecommunications systems in the Old and the New World, which led to the need for closer international co-operation in the setting of standards. It also highlights the trend towards quite different systems for the subsequent submarine telephone cables and and for special facilities to increase system capacity.