Telephony

Abstract

OTHER THAN by direct voice, telephones are the most important means of personal communication in the developed countries; and in N America, where local calls are not directly paid for or are exceedingly cheap, telephone conversation ousts direct speech into second place. The immediacy of the telephone is its great advantage over other forms of communication and the coverage of the global network is virtually complete. Thirty years ago transatlantic calls were rarely made, today they are commonplace. Mobile telephones (‘cellphones’ in N America and elsewhere) are now almost indispensable, particularly in those parts of the world where telephone lines are non-existent through theft or under-investment. Spectacular use of the mobile telephone was seen in the recent war in Afghanistan where television reports were made routinely over mobile videophones. Yet is not much more than 30 years since the last manual exchange in England closed¹.