A telephone is an instrument designed for the simultaneous transmission and reception of the human voice. Telephones are inexpensive and simple to operate, and they offer an immediate, personal type of communication. Billions of telephones are in use around the world.

telephone

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
The telephone instrument
- Working components of the telephone
  - Power source
  - Switch hook
  - Dialer
  - Ringer
  - Transmitter
  - Receiver
  - Anti-sidetone circuit
- Development of the telephone instrument
  - Early sound transmitters
  - Gray and Bell: the transmission of speech
    - The first devices
    - The search for a successful transmitter
  - Development of the modern instrument
- Cordless telephones
- Personal communication systems
The telephone network
- Switching
  - Switching systems
    - Manual switching
    - Electromechanical switching
    - Electronic switching
    - Digital switching
  - The switching network
- Signaling
  - Call-number dialing
    - Rotary dialing
    - Push-button dialing
  - Interoffice signaling
    - In-band signaling
    - Out-of-band signaling
- Transmission
  - Development of long-distance transmission
    - From single-wire to two-wire circuits
    - Problems of interference and attenuation
    - From analog to digital transmission
    - Coaxial cable
    - Microwave link
    - Optical-fibre cable
  - Overseas transmission
    - Terrestrial radio
    - Undersea cable
    - Satellite

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Alexander Graham Bell and the New York City–Chicago telephone link

Alexander Graham Bell demonstrating the telephone

telephone: Alexander Graham Bell's sketch of a telephone

For Students

telephone summary

telephone

Q: When was the telephone patented?

On February 14, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for a U.S. patent for the telephone. On March 7, 1876, Bell was awarded U.S. patent 174,465. This patent is often referred to as the most valuable ever issued by the U.S. Patent Office, as it described not only the telephone instrument but also the concept of a telephone system.

Q: When was the telephone introduced to the public?

One of the earliest demonstrations of the telephone occurred in June 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Q: Who is credited as the inventor of the telephone?

Alexander Graham Bell is credited with developing the telephone because he received the first patent.

Q: When did the first transmission of speech occur with a telephone?

The first transmission of speech with a telephone occurred on March 10, 1876, from Alexander Graham Bell to Thomas Watson, which Bell transcribed in his lab notes as “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you.”

Also known as: telephony

Written by David E. Borth

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 16, 2024 • Article History

Alexander Graham Bell and the New York City–Chicago telephone link

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Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: Thomas Edison; Alexander Graham Bell; Johann Philipp Reis; Thomas Augustus Watson; Frank Baldwin Jewett

Related Topics:: mobile telephone; ringer; anti-sidetone circuit; switch hook; telephone box

On the Web:: PBS - American Experience - The Development of the Telephone (Feb. 16, 2024)

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What is a telephone?

When was the telephone patented?

When was the telephone introduced to the public?

Who is credited as the inventor of the telephone?

When did the first transmission of speech occur with a telephone?

telephone, an instrument designed for the simultaneous transmission and reception of the human voice. The telephone is inexpensive, is simple to operate, and offers its users an immediate, personal type of communication that cannot be obtained through any other medium. As a result, it has become the most widely used telecommunications device in the world. Billions of telephones are in use around the world. This article describes the functional components of the modern telephone and traces the historical development of the telephone instrument. In addition it describes the development of what is known as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). ...(100 of 8665 words)

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