Telegraphs & Telex
	This section will take a look at the automation of the Telegraph Services from the late 1930s onwards and their evolution into Telex and Datel which were the forerunners of today's dial-up and high speed data links. Much of the early routing apparatus used Strowger switches, housed in shared equipment rooms in some of the major telephone exchanges and trunk centres. Photo: TASS Final Selectors in Kelvin House, London. [John Lamble C1977]
EXIT to Inland Switching	| The Public Telegraph Service | The Automatic Telex Service | The Teleprinter Private Services | Datel | Links | Teleprinters |

Evolution of the Services

The Public Telegraph Service for the transmission and receipt of telegrams (typed messages) generally was established first, followed by the Telephone Service for the transmission of voice messages. Later, private teleprinters were connected via the Telephone Service to give a dial-up form of Private Telegraphs. The telephone network was not suitable for sending telegraphic messages and thus the Telex Service (a separate dial-up teleprinter network) evolved.

Nowadays the Telephone Service still isn't entirely suited to the transmission of fax and Internet traffic, but better signalling equipment overcomes these deficiencies!

The Telegraph Services

By 1969, there were three distinct Telegraph services provided by the Post Office:

• The Public Telegraph Service (for the transmission and receipt of telegrams)
• The Automatic Telex Service
• The Teleprinter Private Services

The Public Telegraph Service

	The Public Telegraph Service Introduction-The Public Telegraph Service was more commonly known as the Telegram Service because it was for the acceptance, transmission and delivery of Telegrams which used the Telegraph Network.

The Telex Service

	The Telex Service The term, TELEX is the contraction of the two words TELegraph EXchange. Telex service in the United Kingdom is a fully automatic teleprinter switching system, which enables subscribers to call each other at any time - day or night - and to communicate in print. Calls can also be made to telex subscribers in most other countries.

The Teleprinter Private Services

The Teleprinter Private Services

Teleprinters

Learn about the equipment.

The Datel Service

DATEL

LINKS

International Telegraphs - A site to remember Post Office and BT people who provided these services from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Telecommunications Heritage Group - Has a section about the Post Office Telegraphs. 

The history of BT's Telemessage service.

Current Services

Telegrams Online offer a personal greetings telegram service. [From July 2003]

Telemessages for bulk mailing to business customers continue to be provided via BT.