Alexander Graham Bell, Telephone and India

My Dear Young and Little Indians,

In today's times we all use phones. It has become a necessity. Let us look back in history and experience the evolution of telephones in India. 

145 years back on this day (10 March 1876) Alexander Graham Bell talked to his assistant Thomas Watson over his new invention –the telephone. He had said- "Mr. Watson--come here--I want to see you." And these words were etched in the history of mankind.

Graham Bell’s mother and wife were deaf. This influenced Graham Bell's life and work.

Although he invented the telephone, he never kept a phone in his office because he felt it was a disturbance !!

1876- March 10 – Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

1877- Alexander Graham Bell founded a telephone company called – Bell Telephone Company. This company became American Telephone and Telegraph Company and was later called AT&T Corporation.

1915 January 25- The first transcontinental call was made by Graham Bell once again to his assistant Thomas Watson. However, this time they were not together at the same place. Graham Bell was on the eastern end of USA and his assistant Thomas Watson was on the western end of USA. Graham Bell repeated his old words-"Mr. Watson--come here--I want to see you."Watson replied "It would take a week now"

 

INDIA

1882 January 28- The first telephone exchange was opened in Calcutta (Kolkata) and was called “Central Exchange”.

 

There was a time when having a telephone at home was a luxury. And this was not very long back. I would have been in school then. Your parents would have also lived those times as young and little students.

This was a symbol of luxury.

 

Telephone connections were rare.

Select Govt servants were the lucky ones to have a departmental/ Govt provided telephone at home. Of course some had their personal connections as well.

Neighbours of these fortunate telephone owners were no less fortunate…..

“आंटी, मैं अपने दोस्त को एक फ़ोन कॉल कर सकता हूँ? “  (with a smile on face) or

“अंकल, मैं अपने दोस्त को आपका फ़ोन नंबर दे दूँ।  वह फ़ोन करेगा तो आप मुझे बुला लीजयेगा..... प्लीज”

This was common.

 

Then there was something called a PP telephone number.

PP meant- Particular Person.

One telephone was used by multiple people at places like…. offices. In case you would share such a telephone number with your friend you would tell him that it is a PP number. That meant, whenever you would call on this number you should ask for the particular person by name who you wish to talk to.

For instance, Ram, Shyam, Mala, Moti, Sita, Gita and many more would be using one telephone so if you are friend of Moti, then call on this number and ask for Moti by his name.

 

When I was in class 11, I remember a friend of mine shared his PP number with me.

I asked him- What does PP mean ?

He replied – “PP means पडोसी फ़ोन “

 

Inter city calls were termed as ‘Trunk Calls”. In the initial days of telephones you could not call someone directly.

You would call the telephone exchange and book a trunk call (intercity call). The person at the telephone exchange would call up the other person in the other city and then connect your telephone number to that telephone.  

 

Telephone Exchange

 

Later Trunk Calls were upgraded to STD Calls (Subscriber’s Trunk Dial)

There used to be STD Telephone booths on the roadside. These were called PCOs (Public Call Offices)

 

Call rates for STD calls were different at different times of the day.

If call rate was, say, Rs. 100 per minute during the day, it would reduce to Rs. 50 per minute after 7 pm and further reduce to Rs. 25 per minute after 9 pm.

So if you would visit a PCO after 9 pm, you would find a lot of Uncles and Aunties queued outside the booth waiting for their turn.

International call was International Subscribers Dial.

 

The Past

1994- National Telecom Policy (NTP) of India was formulated to attract domestic and International investors with the aim of making telecom world class in India.  Mobile telephones was launched.

1995-  31 July - Then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu, made the first mobile phone call in India to then Union Telecom Minister Sukhram. 

Please notice that the first landline phone in India was also launched from Calcutta (Kolkatta) in 1882 (January 28).

 

Can you believe …one had to pay Rs. 16 to make a one minute mobile call....... A bigger surprise for you is that the receiver of the call had to pay additional Rs. 8 per minute...... You would pay to receive a call !!

If I call you, I pay Rs. 16 and you pay Rs. 8. And today calls are practically free! Do you know mobile call rates in India are the lowest in the world !

   

1995- 15 August- Internet was launched by VSNL (Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited). VSNL was a company owned by the Govt of India and responsible for international telephony.

1997- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was created.

1999- New Telecom Policy of India was formulated.

2000- October 1- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was created by corporatizing the operations wing of Department of Telecommunications.

Let us understand this…. There was a Govt department called the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This department was responsible for formulating telecom policies as well as responsible for providing and maintaining telephone connections. On 1 Oct 2000, the Govt split this department into two parts. The part which was responsible for providing and maintaining telephone connections was named as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

The other part still functions as Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Govt of India.

By this time a number of private companies had started mobile telephone business.

Something intresting ……Birla had started a company named “Birla Communications”. Tatas had a company called “Tata Cellular”. Tatas later brought in a foreign partner and that was AT&T. Do you recall this name ? This is Graham Bells company.

June 2001-  Birla,Tata and AT&T came together to form one company. This company was later renamed as IDEA Cellular and then renamed as Vodafone IDEA and then again renamed as VI…… Phew !

 

Mobile number Portability (MNP) was launched. With this there was no need to change your mobile number even if you moved to a different part of the country.

I was using a mobile number when I was in Hyderabad. I am using the same number in Uttarakhand also. There was no need to take a new number in Uttarakhand. This was because of MNP.

 

The Present

You would have seen telecom towers like the one below.

Such towers are set up at different locations in the city and country to provide mobile connectivity.

But this is set to change………….

 

The Future

2020 July – Bharti Airtel along with the British Govt purchased a company called One Web. One Web is working on providing mobile connectivity through satellites instead of telecom towers !

One Web will use low-Earth orbit satellites that provide high-speed communications. The company has so far launched 74 satellites and plans to launch a total of 648 satellites.

Low earth orbit satellite constellation.- This means all the 648 satellites will be placed just above the earth’s atmosphere. It will look and work like this.

 

The benefit would be that telecom signals will be available even at places where telecom towers cannot be erected, for example, over the oceans, in dense forests, large deserts etc.  

I hope you found this interesting and had something new to learn.

I would love to hear from you, my Indians !

Jai Hind !!