In the mid-1930’s electronic technology had advanced to the point where a submarine cable system with repeaters, electrical devices that would boost voice signals after they had reached the fading point along a circuit, became feasible. Recognition of the technical limitations of radio for transatlantic telephony led to studies of the feasibility of a North Atlantic submarine telephone cable. Moreover, radio did not guarantee its users privacy and security.
While radio circuits provided a voice service, the vagaries of sunspot and seasonal and daily variations were never overcome entirely.
The first commercial voice link across the Atlantic, which was launched in 1927 with a single radio telephone circuit, shed new light on the desirability of a transatlantic telephone cable. Transatlantic long-wave and short-wave services had been established in 19, respectively. Two considerations, however, killed the project: radio circuits were continuously improving, and the cost estimate was $15 million, a prohibitive price tag after the economic collapse that began in 1929.Ī commercial radiotelegraph service, which began in 1908, had greatly contributed to transatlantic communication. In 1928 this work culminated in a proposal for a repeaterless cable bearing a single voice channel. Advances in materials and techniques, such as inductive loading, led to gradual increases in performance to the point that, in 1919 a study of deep-water submarine telephones began. Telegraph systems developed steadily over the years. However, the communication capacity of the first transatlantic cable was very limited while the demand for rapid communication continued to increased. After a period of failure and learning, the Great Eastern, the world’s largest ship, laid in 1866 the first permanent transatlantic link under the leadership of Cyrus Field, and telegraph communication began. Text messaging was carried on submarine telegraph cables (the technology of the previous 90 years) which were reliable, but slow and expensive.Ĭooperation between North America and the United Kingdom to build an electrical bridge across the Atlantic had gone back over a century.
Before TAT-1, voice was carried across the Atlantic on unreliable and expensive radio channels. Many of the basic concepts and processes developed for achieving highly reliable submarine infrastructure have not changed significantly from those used in TAT-1. The first transatlantic telephone cable, TAT-1, inaugurated the modern era of global communications. A section of the cable and other artifacts and information about the project are in the Oban War and Peace Museum at the corner of the Corran Esplanade and John St., Oban. However, here is a link to an article about visiting the site site at Gallanach Bay, including the cable housing where the cable comes ashore. The plaque at Gallanach Bay, about 4km south of Oban, Scotland is currently underwater and not in a safe location. The plaques can be viewed in two of the three locations: at 52 Cormack Dr., Clarenville, Newfoundland, Canada at the Cape Breton Fossil Centre in Sydney Mines on Cape Breton Island, Canada. Engineers of the BPO, using their experience in subsea communications, developed the specific portion of TAT-1 between Clarenville, Newfoundland and Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia in this laboratory. It provided unparalleled reliability with fragile components in hostile environments. TAT-1 was a great technological achievement, made possible through the efforts of engineers from AT&T Bell Laboratories and BPO. Global telephone communications began on 25 September 1956, when the first transatlantic telephone system, TAT-1 went into service. It was made possible through the efforts of engineers at AT&T Bell Laboratories and BPO. TAT-1 was a great technological achievement providing unparalleled reliability with fragile components in hostile environments. Westward, it ran from here to Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia. This site is the western terminal of the first transatlantic telephone cable system, TAT-1, that stretched east to Oban, Scotland. This site is the eastern terminal of the transatlantic cable that stretched west to Clarenville, Newfoundland. Global telephone communications using submarine cables began here on 25 September 1956, when the first transatlantic undersea telephone system, TAT-1, went into service.
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