Telephony History

In 1892, the government of Charilaos Trikoupis, with G. Theotokis as Minister of the Interior in charge of telecommunications, passed a law “on telephone transport”, which established the state monopoly. In 1895 the General Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs included in its responsibility the Telephone Service. This is how the Directorate of TTT of the Ministry of Interior is created. In 1897 the Call Center of New Faliro was founded and the capacity of the Call Center of Athens doubled. In 1902 the number of subscribers in Athens, Piraeus and New Faliro did not exceed 400. In 1907, an Ericsson-type local telephone exchange center with a capacity of 100 subscribers was established in Patras. In 1908, with the law GSOZ (3277) of April 8, the body of answering machines was established. It is decided to install an Ericsson-type local telephone exchange with a capacity of 800 services in the building of the Athens Post Office, which will finally operate in 1911. After the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912 and until 1915, two metal circuits are hung between Athens and Thessaloniki, a circuit between Athens and Patras, as well as some other circuits of lesser importance. In 1914, with law 276 of 1914, the Ministry of Communications was established, where the service of T.T.T. as General Manager. In 1920 the landline telephone service had 5,267 mobile phones throughout the country. Long-distance calls reach 100,000. In 1922 the ministry of T.T.T. which was abolished in 1923 and its services returned to the Ministry of Communications. In 1923 urban telephony was extended to many central cities of Greece. In 1925, the Wireless Department was created at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to organize the wireless communication with the islands outside the existing network. In May 1926, a contract was signed with the Antwerp Telephone and Electrical Works Company “The New Antwerp Telephone and Electrical Works”, which provides for the establishment of a Hellenic Telephone Company (SA). On February 8, 1930, two contracts were signed with Siemens & Halske, in which the majority of the Shares of “TNAT & E.W.” With this contract, the company is granted the privilege of construction, maintenance and operation of urban and suburban and long distance telephone networks in Greece. The agreements are ratified by the Parliament and the Senate and come into force from 6-5-1930. In 1931, Greece had a telephone connection with Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. From 1932 to 1934 the telephone connection took place first of Thessaloniki and then of Athens, with the whole of Europe. During the period of World War II, the Occupation and the Resistance against the Axis, they were largely destroyed. After the liberation, it was restructured and in 1946 75% of the shares of the German AETE passed to the Greek state. Finally on October 23, 1949 with the L.D. 1049/1949, the Telecommunications Organization of Greece (OTE SA) is established and all private and public telegraph and telephone companies are integrated into it.