31 Telephone Companies in Hong Kong – information wanted pre WW2

HF: Can you fill out this minimalistic skeleton up to 1931? In true wikipedia-style verification is needed…

1877 The telephone was introduced in Hong Kong one year after Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention

1882 The first manual telephone exchange was opened by the Oriental Telephone and Electric Company (東方電話電力公司)

unknown date: the Oriental Telephone and Electric Company was later renamed the China and Japan Telephone and Electric Company (中日電話電力公司)

From the The China Mail 4th October 1891. Here the company name omits “Electric”.

China & Japan Telephone Co Ltd List Of Subscribers A China Mail 4.10.1891

China & Japan Telephone Co Ltd List Of Subscribers B China Mail 4.10.1891

China & Japan Telephone Co Ltd List Of Subscribers C China Mail 4.10.1891

1925 China and Japan Telephone Company was renamed (acquired?) by Hong Kong Telephone Company (HKTC). The Government granted HKTC the sole right to supply and operate telephone services in Hong Kong for a period of 50 years.

1930 Hong Kong Telephone Company replaced all manual exchanges with automatic telephone exchanges using Strowger electro- mechanical equipment

Almon Brown Strowger snipped image wikipedia

Almon Brown Strowger

1931 the first trunk cable was completed and telephone service to Canton opened

This article was first posted on 5th July 2015.

See:

  1. PCCW-HKT Telephone – wikipedia

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