The Telephone Exchange (1982) British Telecom Schools Film

*** Contains Flashing Images ***

A Pacesetter production for British Telecom.

BFI Database: The invention of the automatic telephone exchange system by Strowger and the history of its development. Looks in detail at various automatic systems and explains how they work, these include: the Strowger switching system; the cross bar selector; the reed relay electronic exchange; and the microchip technology of the System X exchange. Intended for schoolchildren aged 10-16 years.

This is a new transfer of an severely faded 16mm print. Some colour correction has been applied to try and reduce the red cast.

The copyright in this film belongs to BT Group.

[trashmedia]

My Dad was a commissioning engineer for TXE4 and System X installs, i remember one Saturday he took me to work with him at an exchange in central Brum (i was about 10), i was mesmerised by all the rooms full of wires and switches.

[eliotareed]

ah I love the classic "british professional" voice of the 60-80's television

[FF-sosu]

When you stop to think, technological developments made over the last 70years or so, are amazing

[andersonpyaban]

It is amazing how these gigantic mechanical systems worked...all these squeezed down to a tiny microchip that can fit in your but love and respect for the journey

[youcantata]

Strowger -> Crossbar -> Reed relay -> digital exchange -> internet phone: Korean telecom companies used them all and I remember them all. What a fantastic rate of technological progress!!

[lordred]

And these old exchanges now consist of an MDF and an optical transmission area, and loads of big empty rooms with lovely wood block floors.

[xjet]

I used to work in a stepping exchange but moved into RF communications before crossbar became a thing. Oh, I am so old :-)

[roachtoasties]

I remember the days of GTE in the Los Angeles area. They were too cheap (or broke) to upgrade most of their switches. There were still step-by-step/Strowger switches into the late 1980's/early 1990's, that were not maintained or overloaded. Customers would complain, especially when they realized if they lived in a neighboring area served by Pacific Telephone, they had electronic switching with custom calling features, and not telephones that worked worse than on The Flintstones or on Green Acres (Oliver had to climb up a telephone pole to make a call). Eventually things changed, along with the telephone company being taken over.

[timsmith]

I started work in 1973 installing strowger telephone exchanges.Most of my working life involved telecommunications.Its amazing how it has all changed in the last 45 years

[mikebull]

Soon the phone company equipment will be decommissioned and everything will be Internet. Great but also a sad day. The old tech was pretty darned amazing when you consider they invented everything pretty much on their own as the need came up. The monopoly of the Bell System was really required back then or it would never have progressed as quickly and efficiently as it did. Still amazing what they accomplished!!

[vaughanwarburton]

As a BT engineer in the 80s 90s, 00s I frequented many a exchange to mainly drink tea and cannot believe the canteen nor kettle did not get mention the secret's out share holders!

[ds]

This was a great video highlighting where we came from. I grew up with first a Strowger system and then they switched us over to a Crossbar 2 system in 1968. I don’t recall having any reliability issues during the 20 years on these systems. They always seemed to work and always got the calls through. They cost the phone company more to operate due to the real estate and electricity consumption. In the video it mentions how we will always need operators. Here in Canada they are gone. If you dial zero you will get a fast busy signal (re-order tone). Computers place collect calls now. If you dial 0+area code+number. The younger generation will not know what an operator was. Now we have 911 for emergencies and this service is not even run by the telephone company. The law enforcement offices run 911 and it is considered a municipal government job. Almost everyone is using VoIP now. The internet is our telephone network today. Things have changed enormously since this video and the things in the video they were most certain would never change - have changed.

[hugebartlett]

While in Bude years ago I worked installing the new System X. Very interesting work, when I was charged with testing all the selectors and uniselectors. Several of them needed a rweak with a screwdriver to free the solonoids. But this was a revolution! At last you could dial direct, exciting times. I believe now that exchange is defunct and abandoned, just an empty building these days.

[NOWThatsRichy]

Amazing to think how technology has moved on, even from when this film was made, I live just across the road from the main exchange for Portsmouth, it was built in 1958 & back in the 80's you could walk by & hear all the switching equipment clicking & wiring.
The exchange is still in use but now looks rather tatty with lots of empty space inside.
If it ever closed, I'd love to have a look round inside, some of these big exchanges had underground bunkers for use in the event of a nuclear war.

[MPH]

I was lucky enough to have worked on the early TXS stronger units right up to TXEs at BT and Cable and wireless over the past 42 years. Great memories especially Mondial House at the beginning, I worked there for many years in the repeater station.

[AbdyantiquesCoUkTelephones]

Great clip for showing people how these vintage telephones worked. Very nostalgic to see the Strowger group selectors.

[joojoojeejee]

Little did they know in 1982 that all the development during the past 100 years would pale in comparison to what was ahead in the coming decades...

[davidhughes]

Dont forget the Power section kept all the buildings and power system running.

[richdiscoveries]

And to think now I'm watching this video on my telephone!! The technology shown here is so old and beautiful. I remember as a kid there was a telephone exchange building down the street from me and sometimes in the summer they would leave the door open and I would look in and see rows upon rows of equipment just like this. Now if you look inside of one of the buildings that they even still have there's a couple of computers and nothing but open space!!
And just let me add, that speak and spell was awesome. I have not seen one of those since I was a child

[diez]

Lovely to see Mondial House, worked there for a short time with BTI before leaving to join Siemens.
Things moved fast but BTI not fast enough for me.
Now it is all to change again.
VOIP, with do many extras, so much better if done properly. The above and beyond is what we all want?