Telephone Related Links

Phone Trips - The original and still one of the best telephone sound web pages. Narrated telephone recordings by Mark Bernay and Evan Doorbell. Includes submissions by others as well.

This Is a Recording - A website with a large number of telephone sound recordings. Web site operated by Jennifer Martino.

Tribute to the Telephone - The "Signal and Circuit Conditions USA and Canadian Telephone Systems" page of a very large website devoted to the Telephone. Lots of old telephone sounds from some very old equipment.

Telephone Collectors Websites

Antique Telephone Collectors Association - The Antique Telephone Collectors Association, or ATCA, is the largest telephone collectors organization in the world. Chartered in 1971 as a non-profit corporation by the state of Kansas, its over 1500 active members are located throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Telephone Collectors International - Telephone Collectors International is an organization of telephone collectors, hobbyists and historians who are helping to preserve the history of the telecommunications industry through the collection of telephones and telephone related material.

Telephone Pictures Websites

Antique Telephone History Website - If you want a complete history of old (and I mean really OLD telephones), this is the place to go! Everything you wanted to know (and more) but were afraid to ask!

Tribute To The Telephone - Files and Photos - Photographs and descriptions of old telephones and telephone equipment.

Vince Budnick's Cavalcade of Phones - Photographs and descriptions of old telephones - Western Electric, Automatic Electric, Stromberg-Carlson, and more!

Old Telephhones as Entertainment - Photographs, newspaper clippings and more! Specializing on listing every single model number for every phone created! Also has wonderful picture history on prototypes. Automatic Electric & Western Electric and more!

Telephone History Resources & Museums

Atlanta Telephone History - Information about the origin and history of telephone service in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dutch Telephony Museum - Information about the history of telephone service in The Netherlands.

Museum of Communications - A museum of vintage telephone equipment (Step-by-Step, crossbar, etc) located in Seattle, Washington. Formerly known as the Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum.

Rob Grant's Telephone Pages - Rob Grant has a good page on British telephone system history.

The Strowger Telecomms Page - A site devoted to the history of British Step by Step (Strowger) equipment and sounds.

Telephone Exchange Names - Find out what could have been the telephone exchange name for your telephone prefix. (Example: 373 in Fredericksburg, VA was ESsex-3. Also lists Ma Bell's recommended names.

Telephone History Preservation Organizations

TelecomPioneers (formerly known as the Telephone Pioneers of America) - TelecomPioneers is the largest industry-related volunteer organization in the world, with chapters located throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1911, TelecomPioneers, formerly known as the Telephone Pioneers of America, is comprised of nearly 750,000 current and retired telecommunications employees who have joined together to make their communities better places in which to live and work.

Pay Telephone Enthusiast Websites

The Mojave Phone Booth Site - A website dedicated to what was probably the most remotely located pay phone in the continental US. This pay phone was located in the middle of the Mojave desert in California. The neat thing about this pay phone is that if you called it, more than likely someone would answer it! Unfortunately, the National Park Service didn't like all the attention it was getting and had it removed in 2000. The number of the pay phone was (760) 733-9969.

Pay Phone Directory - The original pay telephone directory, operated by El Jefe. News and information about pay telephones, including Customer Owned Pay Telephones (COCOTs). Also has many recordings from telephone switching equipment.

The Payphone Project - User-contributed listings of pay telephones throughout the US, Canada and parts of the rest of the world. Also includes some information, photographs, and funny stories related so some of these phones. An excellent site operted by Mark A. Thomas.

Telephone Tribute - Pay Phones & Phone Booths
A great telephone tribute website - this page devoted to the pay phone. Developed by David Massey, it is now maintained by Bob and Sheri Stritof.

COCOT Pay Phone Providers

Protel -  Protel provides innovative payphone solutions--pay telephone equipment, retrofit kits, payphone parts, software--to telecom companies worldwide. Founded in 1983, Protel is North Americašs leading manufacturer of smart public pay telephones, with payphones installed in more than 60 countries.

QuorTech - Current owners of the Millenium pay phone (formerly made by Nortel) and the Western Electric "Fortress" pay phone (formerly made by Western Electric & Lucent). QuorTech also includes the former Elcotel COCOT company.

Telephone Resource Management Companies

Telcordia - Originally Bellcore, a joint ventured company originally owned by the seven RBOCs when AT&T split up in 1984. Now an independent company that still provides telephone numbering and related research. The Traffic Routing Administration division assigns and issues new telephone prefixes within the US.

North American Numbering Plan Administration - The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) has been turned over to a third-party private industry (NeuStar). NANPA's job is to handle numbering administration for the USA, Canada, most Carribean islands, and some Pacific islands (Guam and Northern Marianas Islands).

NeuStar Number Pool Administration - NeuStar's website that is devoted to "thousand block pooling" of telephone prefixes. Included are reports that you can run to find out what prefixes have thousand block pooling and what carriers are assigned to each prefix thousands block.

Telephone Switch Companies

Alcatel-Lucent - Formed in December 2006 from the merger of Alcatel (France) and Lucent Technologies (USA). Lucent is also home of Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent & former Western Electric.

Ericsson - Based in Sweden, makers of computer and telephone switch network products, focusing on the wireless market.

Nortel Networks - Based in Canada. Nortel (Northern Telecom) is a manufacturer of computer and telephone switching systems.

DCO - The line of "Digital Central Office" switches. Inveted by the former Stromberg-Carlson company of the USA in the early 1980s. It was later sold to Siemens of Germany. In 2006, this division was sold to GENBAND. It is no longer being made.

EWSD - Invented in 1985 by Siemens of Germany. The EWSD switch is a medium to high capacity digital switch. In 2007, Nokia Corporation and Siemens AG formed the new company Nokia Siemens Networks, and responsibility of further development and shipments of the EWSD system is dependent on this new company.

On-line Telephone Directory Websites

AnyWho - Find a number for a person or business - anywhere in the USA. Helpful when you only know part of a name. Also has a reverse number lookup. This website is operated by AT&T.

DA Plus - This site lets you search for residences or busineses by telephone number and also by name.

Switchboard - Very good online telephone directory. A subsidiary of Idearc Media (the spinoff of Verizon's phone book division).

SuperPages - The on-line directory operated by Idearc Media (formerly by Verizon).

WhitePages.Com - The on-line directory operated by White Pages, Inc.

YellowPages.Com - The on-line business pages of at&t.

Large Local Telephone Companies - USA

A list of local phone companies that serve a significant area and customer base. Primarily what is left of the Regional Bell companies (RBOCs) and the larger independents.

Large Local Telephone Companies - Canada

A list of local phone companies that serve a significant area and customer base.

Bell Aliant - The Maritime side of Bell Canada. Serves New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Laborador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Bell Canada - The Ontario/Quebec side of Bell Canada. Primarily serves Ontario and Quebec, but also serves parts of British Columbia and Alberta.

MTS Allstream - Manitoba Telecom Services - serves Manitoba. Formed in 2004 with the merger of MTS and Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada).

Northwestel - Serves portions of British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

SaskTel -Serves Saskatchewan.

Telus - Serves British Columbia and Alberta. Formed from the merger of BC Telephone and Alberta Telephone.

Major IXC (Inter-Exchange) Carriers - USA

at&t - The "long lines" (long distance) arm of the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company. Formed from a merger of AT&T and SBC.

MCI - The first competition to AT&T. Originally known as Microwave Communications, Inc. Merged with Worldcom in the late 1990s. Dropped the Worldcom part of their name after their bankruptcy in the early 2000s, now the long distance arm of Verizon Business.

Qwest - The long distance arm Qwest. Includes the former LCI Long Distance Company. Also is the RBOC local provider in 14 western states.

Sprint - The long distance arm of Sprint-Nextel. Originally was called Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Telecommunications when it formed in 1970. United Telephone and GTE purchsed SPRINT and ran the company as GTE Sprint in the 1980s. United Telephone bought out GTE's interest and changed their corporate name to Sprint in the early 1990s.

Major Wireless Companies - USA

at&t Mobility - Provides GSM wireless voice and data services in many areas nationwide. Formerly known as Cingular Wireless before BellSouth and SBC's "at&t" merged in January 2007. Cingular was formed from the former SBC's Cellular One and the former AT&T Wireless in October 2004. Merged with Dobson Communications (formerly Cellular One) in November 2007 and Centennial Wireless in 2009.

Bluegrass Cellular - Regional CDMA voice and data carrier. Services in Kentucky.

Cellular South - Regional CDMA voice and data carrier. Home coverage is in Memphis, TN and Mississippi through Coastal Alabama to Destin, Florida.

Cricket Communications - Regional CDMA voice and data carrier.

Metro PCS - Regional CDMA voice and data carrier.

Sprint - Provides CDMA voice and data services in many areas nationwide.  which was formed as Fleet Call, Inc. in 1987. The business wireless side of Sprint (formerly Nextel) provides cellular-like technology in the SMR (Specialized Mobile Radio) band. Nextel exclusively uses Motorola's iDEN digital TDMA style PCS technology.

T-Mobile - Provides GSM services in more populated areas of the US. Owned by Deutsche Telekom of Germany. Formerly known as Voicestream.

US Cellular - Provides CDMA services in a number of rural areas nationwide. 

Verizon Wireless - The wireless division of Verizon, provides analog and CDMA services in many areas nationwide. Formed from the former Bell Atlantic/NYNEX mobile, GTE Wireless, PCS Primeco, Airtouch and other smaller wireless and PCS companies. Merged with Alltel in 2009.

Small Independent Local Telephone Companies - USA

New Ulm Telecom - New Ulm, MN
Ringgold Telephone - Ringgold, GA
Pineland Telephone Cooperative - Pineland, GA
Wetaskiwin Telephone Company - Wetaskiwin, AB Canada
Park Region Mutual Telephone Company - Fergus Falls, MN
Kalona Cooperative Telephone Company - Kalona, IA
COLONTEL (Colton Telephone Company) - Colton, OR
Alma Telephone Co - Alma, GA
Southern Montana Telephone - Wisdom, MT
Southern Kansas Telephone Co - Clearwater, KS
Duo County Telephone Co - Jamestown, KY
Drenthe Telephone - Drenthe, MI
Allendale Telephone - Allendale, MI
Brandenburg Telephone Co - Bradenburg, KY
Silver Star Communications (Silver Star Telephone Co) - Freedom, WY
Ma-Central (Marquette Adams Telephone Cooperative) - Oxford, WI
Choctaw Telephone Co - Hallton, MO
Whidbey Telecom (Whidbey Telephone Co) - Coupeville, WA
CC Communications (Churchill County Telephone Co) - Fallon, NV
Nicholville Telephone Co - Nicholville, NY
Pembroke Telephone Co - Pembroke, GA
Ridgeville Telephone Co - Ridgevile, OH
New Paris Telephone - New Paris, IN
Palmerton Telephone Company - Palmerton, PA
Lemonweir Valley Telephone Company - Camp Douglas, WI
Monitor Cooperative Telephone - Woodburn, OR
Ganado Telephone Co - Gando, TX
Lakedale Telephone Company - Annandale, MN
Middleburgh Telephone Co - Middleburgh, NY
Ellijay Telephone Co - Ellijay, GA
Solarus (formerly Wood County Telephone) - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
American Broadband - Missouri
American Broadband - Nebraska - Blair, NE
TelAlaska - Seward, Nome and Unalaska, AK
Comporium Communications - Rock Hill, SC
Citizens Telephone Co - Mammoth, PA
Scio Mutual Telephone - Scio, OR
Rye Telephone Co - Rye, CO
Farmers Telephone Co. Inc. - Pleasant View, CO
Pine Drive Telephone Co. - Beulah, CO
Waldron Telephone Co - Waldron, MI
DFT Communications (Dunkirk and Fredonia Telephone) - Fredonia, NY
Alaska Power & Telephone
Wamego Telephone Co - Wamego, KS
Mt. Horab Telephone Co - Mt. Horeb, WI
Brooklyn Mutual Telephone Co - Brooklyn, IA
Central Scott Telephone Co - Eldridge, IA
Citizens Mutual Telephone Co - Bloomfield, IA
Colo Telephone Co - Colo, IA
Cooperative Telephone Co - Victor, IA (no URL)
Ellsworth Telephone Co - Ellsworth, IA
Farmers Telephone of Batavia IA - Batavia, IA
Farmers Telephone of Essex IA - Essex, IA
OmniTel Communications - Nora Springs, IA
Farmers Mutual Telephone Company - Stanton, IA
Grand River Mutual Telephone - Leon, IA
Heart of Iowa Communications - Union, IA
Interstate Communications - Truro, IA
Liberty Communications (West Liberty Telephone) - West Liberty, IA
Marne & Elk Horn Telephone - Elk Horn, IA
Montezuma Mutual Telephone - Montezuma, IA
Premier Communications (Mutual Telephone Co) - Sioux Center, IA
Northwestern Telephone Cooperative - Havelock, IA
Olin Telephone Co - Olin, IA
Oran Telephone Co - Oran, IA
Readlyn Telephone Co - Readlyn, IA
Scranton Telephone Co - Scranton, IA
South Slope Coop Telephone - North Liberty, IA
Springville Co-operative Telephone - Springville, IA
Sully Telephone Association - Sully, IA
Van Buren Telephone Co - Van Buren, IA
Walnut Communications (Walnut Telephone Co.) - Walnut, IA
Wellman Telephone Co - Wellman, IA
Westel Systems (West Iowa Telephone Co.) - Remsen, IA
Western Iowa Telephone Co - Lawton, IA
WTC Communications (Wilton Telephone Co.) - Wilton, IA
Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association - Lake Mills, IA
Woolstock Mutual Telephone - Woolstock, IA
Price County Telephone - Phillips, WI
Molalla Telephone Co - Molalla, OR
Smithville Telephone Co - Ellettsville, IN
Northern Arkansas Telephone - Flippin, AR
Monroe Telephone Co - Monroe, OR
Hillsboro Telephone Co - Hillsboro, WI
Vernon Telephone Cooperative - Westby, WI
La Valle Telephone Cooperative - LaValle, WI
Cochrane Cooperative Telephone - Cochrane, WI
Coon Valley Farmers Telephone - Coon Valley, WI
Richland-Grant Telephone Cooperative, Inc. - Blue River, WI
Laurel Highland Total Communications - Indian Head, PA
ElPasoTel (El Paso County Telephone) - (near) Colorado Springs, CO
D&P Communications (Deerfield Farmers Telephone) - Petersburg, MI
Blue Valley Communications - Home, KS
Tri-County Telecommunications Co-Op - Strum, WI

Miscellaneous Links

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Page last modified November 27, 2010
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