Generation of Telecommunication inINDIA

November
1850


The first Experimental Electric Telegraph Line was started between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour.

***************************************************************************
October
1851


The Line completed and opened for East India Company�s traffic.

***************************************************************************
April
1852


Dr. O�Shaughnessy�s report on successful working of the experimental Line landed before the Bengal Govt.

***************************************************************************
November
1953


Construction started of 4,000 miles of telegraph lines connecting Calcutta and Peshawar in the north via Agra and Bombay through Sindwa Ghats, Bombay and Madras in the South as well as Ootacamund and Bangalore.

**************************************************************************
October
1854


The first Telegraph Act enacted.

***************************************************************************
February
**************************************************************************
1855


Electric telegraph opened to public traffic.


***************************************************************************
1857


The �Mutiny�.

Electric Telegraph saved India� � Dalhousie.


***************************************************************************
1858

First Indo-Ceylon cable laid

***************************************************************************
January
**************************************************************************
1865


First Indo-European telegraph communication effected.

***************************************************************************
1867


A new cable laid between India and Ceylon.

***************************************************************************
1871


International Telegraph Conference at Berne and Rome.

***************************************************************************
October
**************************************************************************
1872


Interference to Telegraph Working by Magnetic Storm.

***************************************************************************
1873


Duplex Telegraphy introduced in India between Bombay and Calcutta

***************************************************************************
1873


Indigenous manufacture of cables for river crossing by Telegraph Workshops, Alipore.

**************************************************************************
August
1875


The first Private Telephone line supplied by the Telegraph department.

***************************************************************************
August
1877


Indian Telegraph Department erected telegraph line between

Srinagar and Gilgit on behalf of the Maharaja of Kashmir.

**************************************************************************
1878

For the first time (except the first year) the receipt of the Indian

Telegraph Department exceeded the expenses, netting a surplus

Of Rs. 182,128.
***************************************************************************
July
1880


I.T.D. transferred responsibility of the Ceylon Telegraph System

and offices to the Ceylon Government.
***************************************************************************
November
1881

Licences granted to Private Companies to operate Telephone

Systems at Madras, Bombay, Rangoon, Calcutta.

**************************************************************************
January
1882


Opening of telephone exchange at Bombay.

***************************************************************************
October
1885

Upper Burma Campaign � I.T.D. helps in providing communi- cations for swift advance.

Introduction of Quadruplex telegraphy and copper wire for transmission.

***************************************************************************
1886

Copper wire for transmission between Bombay and Madras

instead of iron wire.

**************************************************************************
1887

Facilities afforded to Indian Meteorological Service for communicating �Storm Signals� to all places.

**************************************************************************
1888

Post Office and Telegraph Department combined as quasi- commercial departments.

**************************************************************************
JANUARY
1889

Death of Dr. O�Shaughnessy at Southern.

**************************************************************************
1892-95


Construction and control of Telegraph System of Kashmir State by I.T.D.

*************************************************************************
1895-96

Phonograms introduced for the first time at Bombay and Calcutta.

*************************************************************************
1902


First wireless telegraph station established between Saugor Islands and Sandheads.

**************************************************************************
1903

Field Telegraphs for Sikkim, Tibet.


**************************************************************************
1903


Reorganisation of Superior Establishment in Telegraph.

Departmental Wireless Telegraph introduced.

**************************************************************************
1904


Wireless Telegraph introduced between Elephant Point and Amherst.

**************************************************************************
1905

Control of Telegraph Department transferred from P.W.D. to Commerce and Industry Department, except for matters connected with Buildings and Electricity.

**************************************************************************
1906

Baudot system introduced between Calcutta and Bombay, and

Calcutta and Rangoon.

**************************************************************************
August
1907

Central Battery working of telephones was first introduced in Kanpur.

**************************************************************************
DECEMBER
**************************************************************************
1907

Women signalers employed for the first time.

**************************************************************************
1907-08

Wireless Telegraph working between Diamond Islands and Port Blair were successful during the nights of cold weather.

**************************************************************************
1908

Wheatstone working between London and Calcutta, Madras and Rangoon.


**************************************************************************
1909

Wireless Telegraph Traffic was maintained with ships at-sea from Calcutta stations at Diamond Island, Table Island, etc.

**************************************************************************
April
1910

Birth of Technical Branch as a separate organization for dealing with the technical matters under Electrical Engineer-in- Chief.

**************************************************************************
DECEMBER
1910

Telegraph Department awarded a gold medal in the United Provinces Exhibition held at Allahabad.

**************************************************************************
1910-11

Introduction of Circle Scheme in the department and decentralization.

**************************************************************************
1912-14

Amalgamation of Postal and Telegraph Department under a single Director-General. Reversion of control of P&T again to P.W.D.

**************************************************************************
1913-14

First automatic exchange at Simla with a capacity of 700 lines with 400 actual connections.

**************************************************************************
1914-18

Production of war materials by Workshops.

**************************************************************************
APRIL
1919


Lady operators employed in Simla Exchange.

**************************************************************************
1920

Madras-Port Blair route for Wireless Telegraph opened.

**************************************************************************
May
1921

Recurrence of Magnetic Storm after a period of 50 years. Telegraph Traffic in south India interrupted.

**************************************************************************
AUGUST
**************************************************************************
1921

National Cash Registers introduced in Calcutta C.T.O. for the first time.

**************************************************************************
1921

Continuous wave transmitters for wireless telegraphy replaces

the spark transmitters.

**************************************************************************
1921

Introduction of R.A.X. at Poona.

**************************************************************************
1922

Department erected a line for Tibetan Government from Gyantse to Lhassa.

**************************************************************************
1923


Long distance dialing (90 miles) introduced between Lahore and Lyallpur.

**************************************************************************
1923


First Trunk Telephone Circuit in Burma established between Rangoon and Pegu.

**************************************************************************
1923-24

152 questions relating to Department were asked and answered in the Legislative Assembly.

**************************************************************************
1924

Floods and cyclone interrupted Telegraph Traffic throughout India.

**************************************************************************
Ist April
**************************************************************************

1925

Accounts of the Department re-constituted on the basis of a full-fledged commercial unit.

**************************************************************************
1925-26

Conversion of Delhi Manual system to Auto System.Deluxe telegrams for greeting messages with foreign countries introduced.

**************************************************************************
23rd July
1927

Radio-Telegraph started working between U.K. and India. The beam station at Kirkee and Dhond opened by Lord Irwin and greetings exchanged with the King of England.
**************************************************************************
May
1933

Radio-Telephone communications between England and India opened by India Radio and Cable Communication Co. Special Trunk Exchange was installed at Kirkee.

**************************************************************************
December
**************************************************************************
1936

Indo-Burma Radio-Telephone service started functioning between Madras and Rangoon.
**************************************************************************
1936-37

Use of Trunk Lines for broadcasting programmes introduced.

**************************************************************************
1937

Burma and Aden Telegraph Systems, which were a part of Indian Telegraph System, separated.

**************************************************************************

1937

Deluxe Telegram with foreign countries introduced.

**************************************************************************
1938-39


Construction of short wave and medium wave wireless telegraph receivers in a number of stations and direction finding stations at Gaya and Allahabad.
**************************************************************************
1940

Introduction of �Urgent Private Inland Trunk Calls�. Overseas Telephone Service temporarily suspended due to war conditions.

**************************************************************************
1942

Bombay Australian wireless Telegraphic service inaugurated.

**************************************************************************
February
**************************************************************************
1942

Bombay-China Wireless Service inaugurated. Training center at Calcutta transferred to Jabalpur.

**************************************************************************

1942


The Bombay Telephone Workshop was taken over by the I.T.D.

**************************************************************************

1943

The Jabalpur Telegraph Workshop started.

**************************************************************************
1943

The Bombay, Calcutta and Madras Telephone Systems were taken over by I.T.D.

**************************************************************************
1942-47

Telecommunication Development Scheme came into operation.

A Telecommunication Development Board was set up.
**************************************************************************
August
1944

Bombay-New York Wirless Telegraph Service was commissioned into service.

**************************************************************************
September
**************************************************************************
1944


Second civilian outlet to U.K., Delhi and London Wireless Telegraph Service inaugurated.


**************************************************************************

1947

India was represented at the important Atlantic City International

Radio Conference.

**************************************************************************
1947

Direct Telephone link to Kashmir and Assam.

**************************************************************************
1947

The late Sardar Patel launched Jalaprabha on Telephone Carrier Channel and Wireless.

**************************************************************************
1st June
1949

Introduction of Hindi telegram in Devanagari script.

***************************************************************************
DECEMBER
**************************************************************************

1949

�Own Your Telephone� Scheme inaugurated.

**************************************************************************
1949


Wireless Station commenced functioning at Srinagar.

**************************************************************************
1949-50


State Merger Scheme; the P&T gradually took over the respective

State P&T Systems.

**************************************************************************

January
1950


India-Afghanistan Wireless Telegraph Service inaugurated. Radio-Telephone Service between India and Nepal inaugurated.

**************************************************************************
May-June
1950


Coastal Wireless Stations at Karwar, Ratnagiri and Mangalore started.

**************************************************************************
October
1950


The Wireless Telephone Service between Indonesia and India opened.

***************************************************************************
NOVEMBER
**************************************************************************
1950

Private Priority Telegram introduced.

**************************************************************************
1950


�Own Your Telephone Exchange� Scheme began to operate.

**************************************************************************
December
1950


�Telegraph Wires (Unlawful possession) of 1950, Act was passed by Parliament.
**************************************************************************
March
1951

The First Asian Games held at Delhi was conveyed by a direct Radio telephoto service between India and Japan.

Innovation of Radio-Telephoto Service.

**************************************************************************
December
1951

Launching of S.S. Jalapushpa of Scindia Steam Navigation Company at Vizagapatam by Shri N.V. Gadgil from Bombay through telegraph circuits.

Wireless Telegraph link to Thailand.

**************************************************************************
June
1951

Wireless Telegraph link to Moscow.

**************************************************************************
July
1951


Wireless Telegraph and Telephone link to Egypt.

First Toll Cable : Delhi-Ghaziabad.

**************************************************************************
September
1951

Wireless Telegraph and Telephone link to Iceland.

**************************************************************************
Mar/Aug
**************************************************************************
1952

Wireless Telephone link to Iran/Japan.

**************************************************************************
1953

12 channel carrier systems introduced.

**************************************************************************
1953

First Automatic Exchange in Calcutta. Telex Service in Bombay.

First 12-Channel Carrier Systems. Introduction of Frequency Modulation. Mechanisation of Telephone Revenue Accounting.

**************************************************************************
July
1959


First Coaxial route between Delhi-Agra commissioned.
**************************************************************************
November
1960


First subscriber trunk dialing route commissioned between Kanpur and Lucknow
**************************************************************************
December
**************************************************************************

1965

First microwave route between Calcutta-Asansol opened

**************************************************************************
February
1967


First crossbar-local exchange commissioned at Mambalam � Madras.

**************************************************************************
December
1967


First crossbar trunk automatic exchange out into service at Madras

***************************************************************************
March
***************************************************************************
1975


First PCM system between city and Andheri telephone exchanges commissioned in Mumbai.

�Advanced Level Telecom Training Centre� commenced training activities from Delhi to be eventually shifted to its own campus in Ghaziabad.

**************************************************************************

1976


Installation of SPC gateway telex exchange and introduction of International Subscriber dialed telex service.

First Digital Microwave System introduced in Calcutta Junction network

************************************************************************** 1978


Introduction of Press Bulletin Service (PBS).

�Telecommunications Consultants India Limited� set up in the public sector to provide consultancy services in telecommunications

**************************************************************************
1979


First optic fibre system for local junction commissioned at Pune.

**************************************************************************
1980

First satellite earth station for domestic communications established at Secunderabad (U.P.)

**************************************************************************
1981


Troposcatter system link between India and U.S.S.R. inaugurated.

**************************************************************************
1982


First SPC electronic digital telex exchange commissioned at Bombay.

**************************************************************************
1983


First SPC analogue electronic trunk automatic exchange commissioned at Bombay.

**************************************************************************
1984


�Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) was established as a society for development of digital switching system.

**************************************************************************
1985


First Mobile Telephone Service introduced at Delhi.

First Radio Paging introduced in Delhi.

**************************************************************************
1986


�Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited� and�Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited� were established.

**************************************************************************
1987

First digital coaxial 140 Mb/s between Ahmedabad and Rajkot commissioned.

**************************************************************************
1988


International gateway packet switch system commissioned at Bombay.

**************************************************************************
1991


I-Net exchange commissioned.

Inmarsat coastal earth station at ARVI to provide maritime communication.

Voice Mail Service (VMS) introduced in Delhi.

***************************************************************************
1994

Announcement of National Telecom Policy.
Cellular telephone service started in Calcutta and Delhi.

Internet service provided by VSNL.

ISDN service started commercially.

***************************************************************************
1995

The �Telecom Regulatory Authority of India� wasset up.

Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) telephone system introduced in MTNL Delhi.

Indo � Nepal Optical Fibre link Commissioned.

Basic Telecom Services opened for private competition.

***************************************************************************
1998


New ISP Policy was announced.

**************************************************************************
1999


New Telecom Policy .

DOT is separated into two organs- DTS and DTO.

**************************************************************************
2000


Telecom disputes, settlement and Appellate Tribunal was established.

National Long Distance Service opened for private competition.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is born.

**************************************************************************
2001


Convergence Bill to promote, facilitate and develop the carriage and content of communications tabled in the Parliament.

Policy for GMPCS service has been announced.

Policy for PMRTS has been announced.

Policy for UMS was announced.

**************************************************************************
2002


VSNL came under private management.

International Long Distance Service opened for private competition.

Internet telephony was started.

**************************************************************************
3G in india is going to be launched within 2 to 3 months.