Two Dynamic Decades Change the Course of Communications Industry

Communications News, Sept, 1984

Starting on page 66 we took a look at communications down through the centuries, making the point that more changes had occurred in man's ability to communicate during the hundred years just preceding our October 1964 first issue than in all the thousands of years that had gone before.

Two dynamic decades have sped by since Communications News published that "first issue". There 20 years have been packed full of exciting events which have added important chapter after chapter to the history of communications as more changes in communications have occurred in the past 20 years than in the 100 previous years!

Here, just before examining in detail the 20 outstanding communications developments of the two decades (starting on page 82), is an overview of the highlights of these 20 years with some pictorial highlights. We go year-by-year, giving CN headlines of important stories in italics followed by brief, single-sentence story digests . . . and concluding each year's recap with an "at-year's-end" statistical summary. 1964

Syncom III Set for Olympic TV Comsat finalizes international arrangements for historic test of global television transmission.--October

Bell Offers Two New Data-Phone Sets Two new Data-Phone data sets designed specifically to permit medium-speed exchange of digital data are now available.--November At year's end . . . Telephone Companies: 2,534 Telephones: 86 million Radio Sets in Use: 214 million TV Sets in Use: 64 million CATV Systems: 1,484 Land Mobile Stations; 1,418,826 Electronics Market: $18.4 billion 1965

Open New Cable to Virgin Islands AT&T and ITT complete joint laying of 1,200 mile deep-sea cable.--January

Consat's First Launch Completely Successful "Early Bird" satellite now being tested after achieving perfect position.--May

Western Union Introduces Business Hot-line Service New "Hot Line" business telephone service establishes automatic connections instantly.--July

Bell System Introduces "Trimline" Telephone First phone instrument honored for design by Museum of Modern Art.--October

Automatic Electric Unveils Unique Video Telephone An experimental model automically centers the image of the user the picture screen.--December At year's end . . . Telephone Companies: 2,445 Telephones: 94 million Radio Sets in Use: 228 million TV Sets in Use: 67 million CATV Systems: 1,575 Land Mobile Stations: 1,456,911 Electronics Market: $19.5 billion 1966

RCA Communications Opens Telex Service to Hawaii First automatics direct-dial telex service introduced.--January

Electronics and Broadcast Groups Salute Sarnoff AT&T chairman Fred Kappel and Lowell Thomas featured in "Salute to David Sarnoft" attended by 1700 prominent Americans of Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.--September.

Santa Fe Railway Opens New Microwave System A 2,450-mile microwave communications system between Chicago and the Pacific coast placed in service.--December At year's end . . . Telephone Companies: 2,268 Telephones: 99 million Radio Sets in Use: 242 million TV Sets in Use: 71 million CATV Systems: 1,750 Land Mobile Stations: 1,623,681 electronics Market: $21.9 billion 1967

RCA Develops Tiny Tubeless Television Camerca A revolutionary tubeless television camera smaller than a man's hand announced by RCA.--January

100,000,000th Telephone President Lyndon Johnson speaks to the governors of all 50 states in an historic conference call from the Cabinet Room of the White House celebrating America's 100 millionth telephone.--June

Hawaiian Merger Merger of Hawaiian Telephone Company into General Tel brought together GTE President Leslie Warner and Hawaiian Tel President Douglas Guild.--July

EKG by Satellite Electo cardiograms were transmitted by RCA Communications from France to the United States via communications satellite in a dramatic breakthrough in advanced medicine and telemetry.--September AT&T Doubles Satellite Circuits to Europe Already the world's largest user of satellite facilities, AT&T asked the FCC for authorization to acquire 80 satellite circuits from Comsat.--December At year's end . . . Telephone Companies: 2,124 Telephones: 104 million Radio Sets in Use: 263 million TV Sets in Use: 75 million CATV Systems : 1,817 Land Mobile Stations: 1,788,707 Electronics Market: $23.7 billion 1968

AT&T Plans Super-Capacity Cable New $146 million system will link New York and Philadelphia with Chicago and St. Louis.--June

Carterfone Case Opens Door for Interconnection FCC says anything goes that does not affect the telephone company's operations or the telephone system's utility for others!--August

AT&T Suggests New Connection Policy New, Liberalized Tariff regulations which would allow more customer-provided equipment to be connected to the Bell System were submitted to the FCC.--October

Comsat Opens Etam Facility New 97' dish in West Virginia hills will be Comsat's major east coast facility.--November

AT&T Files New Tariff on Interconnection AT&T has filed with the FCC a new tariff effective January 1, 1969 which would revise long-standing provisions that prohibit interconnection communications equipment.--December At year's end . . . Telephone Companies 1,995 Telephones: 109 million Radio Sets in Use: 282 million TV Sets in Use: 79 million CATV Systems: 2,100 Land Mobile Stations: 1,723,098 Electronics Market: $24.8 billion 1969