Telecommunication

As the undisputed leader in undersea optical networking, Tyco Telecommunications has played a leading role connecting people from all parts of the globe for almost half a century. Not only were we responsible for the first transatlantic telephone cable system in 1956, we also developed and implemented the first transatlantic fiber-optic system in 1988. More recently, we pioneered a number of new technologies to enable fiber optics to satisfy the rapidly growing demands of the Internet Age. Each sheds light on an interesting facet of long-haul communications. In fact, the history of undersea telecommunications reads a lot like a list of Tyco Telecommunications' own achievements.

Still, we're not about to rest on our laurels. Our Research & Development team, whose lineage goes back to Bell Labs, continues to expand the boundaries of optical networking technology to deliver better service at lower cost to all our customers.

Early communication systems

Almost 5,000 years ago, our ancestors relied on smoke signals for visual - or optical - transmission systems, establishing one of the oldest forms of communication in recorded history. The next development, sometime around 300BC, used carrier pigeons to deliver handwritten messages. Beyond that, the only other means of communication was to physically deliver messages to friends, family and associates located afar.

It wasn't until 1792 that a new form of optical telecommunications came along: the Semaphore. Developed by the Frenchman Claude Chappe, these windmill-like structures enabled people to relay messages at distances of up to 20 miles. However, as with many of today's connections, bandwidth was an issue because the Semaphore could transmit only 15 characters per minute.

19th-century achievements

The phenomenal technological advances of the 19th century brought profound changes, many of which were made possible by the introduction of mechanically generated electricity in 1832. With the ability to flow electrons down copper wire, European inventors Wheatstone and Cooke and right behind them, Morse and Vail in the United States, developed the telegraph, and the telecommunications industry was born.

Almost immediately, people saw the need for undersea cables. The first was a cable underneath the River Thames in London in 1840. Ten years later, the Brett brothers successfully laid a cable across the English Channel connecting England and France, but it broke within hours when it was snagged by a fisherman. A year later, they installed an armored cable, enabling telegraph service between London and Paris to start in 1851. Once the Old World was wired, attention shifted to connecting to the New World.

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