82 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
82 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
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! ESS History !
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! !
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! Courtesy of: !
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! !
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! The Lost City of Atlantis !
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! !
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! <215>-<844>-<8836> !
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! !
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! 35 MB - 2400 BAUD - CLOCK !
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! !
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\-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/
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OF ALL THE NEW 1960S WONDERS OF TELEPHONE TECHNOLOGY - SATELITES,ULTRA
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MODERN TRAFFIC SERVICE POSITIONS (TSPS) FOR OPERATORS, THE PICTUREPHONE, AND
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SO ON - THE ONE THAT GAVE BELL LABS THE MOST TROUBLE, AND UNEXPECTEDLY BECAME
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THE GREATEST DEVELOPMENT EFFORT IN BELL SYSTEM'S HISTORY, WAS THE PERFECTION OF
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AN ELECTRONIC SWITCHING SYSTEM, OR ESS.
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IT MAY BE RECALLED THAT SUCH A SYSTEM WAS THE SPECIFIC END IN VIEW WHEN THE
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PROJECT THAT HAD CULMINATED IN THE INVENTION OF THE TRANSISTOR HAD BEEN
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LAUNCHED BACK IN THE 1930S. AFTER SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THAT PLANNED
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MIRACLE IN 1947-48, FURTHER DELAYS WERE BROUGHT ABOUT BY FINANCIAL STRINGENCY
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AND THE NEED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRANSISTOR ITSELF. IN THE EARLY
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1950S, A LABS TEAM BEGAN SERIOUS WORK ON ELECTRONIC SWITHCING. AS EARLY AS
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1955, WESTERN ELECTRIC BECAME INVOLVED WHEN FIVE ENGINEERS FROM THE HAWTHORNE
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WORKS WERE ASSIGNED TO COLLABORATE WITH THE LABS ON THE PROJECT. THE PRESIDENT
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OF AT&T IN 1956, WROTE CONFIDENTLY, "AT BELL LABS, DEVELOPEMENT OF THE NEW
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ELECTRONIC SWITCHING SYSTEM IS GOING FULL SPEED AHEAD. WE ARE SURE THIS WILL
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LEAD TO MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN SERVICE AND ALSO TO GREATER EFFICIENCY. THE FIRST
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SERVICE TRIAL WILL START IN MORRIS, ILL., IN 1959." SHORTLY THEREAFTER, KAPPEL
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SAID THAT THE COST OF THE WHOLE PROJECT WOULD PROBABLY BE $45 MILLION.
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BUT IT GRADUALLY BECAME APPARENT THAT THE DEVELOPEMENT OF A COMMERCIALLY
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USABLE ELECTRONIC SWITCHING SYSTEM -IN EFFECT, A COMPUTERIZED TELEPHONE
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EXCHANGE - PRESENTED VASTLY GREATER TECHNICAL PROBLEMS THAN HAD BEEN
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ANTICIPATED, AND THAT, ACCORDINGLY, BELL LABS HAD VASTLY UNDERESTIMATED BOTH
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THE TIME AND THE INVESTMENT NEEDED TO DO THE JOB. THE YEAR 1959 PASSED
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WITHOUT THE PROMISED FIRST TRIAL AT MORRIS, ILLINOIS; IT WAS FINALLY MADE
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IN NOVEMBER 1960, AND QUICKLY SHOWED HOW MUCH MORE WORK REMAINED TO BE DONE.
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AS TIME DRAGGED ON AND COSTS MOUNTED, THERE WAS A CONCERN AT AT&T AND SOMETHING
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APPROACHING PANIC AT BELL LABS. BUT THE PROJECT HAD TO GO FORWARD; BY THIS TIME
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THE INVESTMENT WAS TOO GREAT TO BE SACRIFICED, AND IN ANY CASE, FORWARD
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PROJECTIONS OF INCREASED DEMAND FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE INDICATED THAT WITHIN A
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FEW YEARS A TIME WOULD COME WHEN, WITHOUT THE QUANTUM LEAP IN SPEED AND
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FLEXIBILITY THAT AN ELECTRONIC SWITCHING WOULD PROVIDE, THE NATIONAL NETWORK
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WOULD BE UNABLE TO MEET THE DEMAND. IN NOVEMBER 1963, AN ALL-ELECTRONIC
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SWITCHING SYSTEM WENT INTO USE AT THE BROWN ENGINEERING COMPANY AT COCOA BEACH,
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FLORIDA. BUT THIS WAS A SMALL INSTALLATION, ESSENTIALLY ANOTHER TEST
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INSTALLATION, SERVING ONLY A SINGLE COMPANY. KAPPEL'S TONE ON THE SUBJECT IN
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THE 1964 ANNUAL REPORT WAS, FOR HIM, AN ALMOST APOLOGETIC:
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"ELECTRONIC SWITCHING EQUIPMENT MUST BE MANUFACTURED IN VOLUME TO UNPRECEDENTED
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STANDARDS OF RELIABILITY.... TO TURN OUT THE EQUIPMENT ECONOMICALLY AND WITH
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GOOD SPEED, MASS PRODUCTION METHODS MUST BE DEVELOPED; BUT, AT THE SAME TIME,
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THERE CAN BE NO LOSS OF PRECISION..."
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ANOTHER YEAR AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LATER, ON MAY 30, 1965, THE FIRST
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COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC CENTERAL OFFICE WAS PUT INTO SERVICE AT SUCCASUNNA,
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NEW JERSEY.
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EVEN AT SUCCASUNNA, ONLY 200 OF THE TOWN'S 4,300 SUBSCRIBERS INITIALLY HAD
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THE BENEFIT OF ELECTRONIC SWITCHING'S ADDED SPEED AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES,
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SUCH AS PROVISION FOR THREE PARTY CONVERSATIONS AND AUTOMATIC TRANSFER OF
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INCOMING CALLS. BUT AFTER THAT, ESS WAS ON ITS WAY. IN JANUARY 1966, THE SECOND
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COMMERCIAL INSTALLATION, THIS ONE SERVING 2,900 TELEPHONES, WENT INTO SERVICE
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IN CHASE, MARYLAND. BY THE END OF 1967 THERE WERE ADDITIONAL ESS OFFICES IN
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CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT,MINNESOTA, GEORGIA, NEW YORK, FLORIDA,AND PENNSYLVANIA;
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BY THE END OF 1970 THERE WERE 120 OFFICES SERVING 1.8 MILLION CUSTOMERS; AND BY
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1974 THERE WERE 475 OFFICES SERVING 5.6 MILLION CUSTOMERS.
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL SWITCHING AND ELECTRONIC SWITCHING IS
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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "HARDWARE" AND "SOFTWARE"; IN THE FORMER CASE,
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MAINTENENCE IS DONE ON THE SPOT, WITH SCREWDRIVER AND PLIERS, WHILE IN THE CASE
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OF ELECTRONIC SWITCHING, IT CAN BE DONE REMOTELY, BY COMPUTER, FROM A CENTERAL
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POINT, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE ONLY ONE OR TWO TECHNICIANS ON DUTY AT A TIME
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AT EACH SWITCHING CENTER.
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THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHEN THE FINAL FIGURES WERE ADDED UP, WAS FOUND TO
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HAVE REQUIRED A STAGGERING FOUR THOUSAND MAN-YEARS OF WORK AT BELL LABS AND TO
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HAVE COST NOT $45 MILLION BUT $500 MILLION!
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