A pendulum of ownership and control over the telecommunication channels has swung over the last 150 years: from private enterprise to public control and back again. Why and how did that happen? What were the consequences?
In the 19th century, the inventor who discovered a new technology would also tend to become its owner and profit from its success. It was this direct link between innovation and enterprise that gave the ...
The second basic force operating on the telecommunications industry has always been public opinion. Whether state-owned or in private hands, operators cannot ignore strong and consistent criticism. When they have, their ...
The third force operating on a telecommunications network is always money. Economic factors include the growth of markets, the availability of finance and investment, and the returns available to operators and ...
Telecommunications soon became vital to national prosperity - and to national survival. Therefore the business of wires and airwaves was always going to be high on the political agenda - and subject to political ...
Little in telecommunications can happen in complete isolation from the rest of the world. By definition, the way a country runs its telecommunications network depends on its need for overseas connections, and its place ...
Visit the updated Communicate! galllery at the National Museum of Scotland.
Discover the records behind the history of telecommunications as BT Heritage launches online catalogue.
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