The Vidar company (later TRW-Vidar) produced and demonstrated the first digital central office switch. Though Northern Telecom beat Vidar to the market with the first
installation of a commercial production digital switch (their DMS-10 in 1977), Vidar still was the first to demonstrate the technology.
The ITS-5 switch was developed in March 1976 as a Class 5 (local
end office) switch. It was later supplemented with Class 4 functions and was named the
ITS-4/5 switch. The first commercial production installations took place in 1978.
Vidar was not very successful in the digital switch market and ceased manufacture of their switches in the 1980s. Most of their switches have been long ago removed from service in the public switched telephone network.
Iowa Telecom is one of the
last known users of Vidar switches, who inherited them when they purchased service area from
(then) GTE in 2000.
The following are pictures of Vidar switches
in Linn Grove (712-296), Peterson (712-295) and Rembrant (712-286),
Iowa that were removed from service in November 2005. They were replaced with
CopperCom softswitches.
Telephone
World thanks Terry Burke from Iowa Telecom for providing the following
pictures!
Linn Grove, Iowa
Linn Grove, Iowa
Linn Grove, Iowa
Peterson, Iowa
Peterson, Iowa
Rembrandt, Iowa
Other
Modern Telephone
Switching System Pages
Telephone
Switching Systems - Main Page
Overview
of Modern ( Electronic & Digital Switching) Systems
Automatic
Electric Modern Switching Systems
Northern
Telecom (Nortel) Modern Switching Systems
TRW-Vidar
Switching Systems
Western
Electric Modern Switching Systems
Other
Modern Switching Systems of Note
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Page last modified December 20, 2008
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