Telephone Timeline: A Brief History of the Business Phone

Paul Hammond
September 3, 2013

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Telephone Timeline: A Brief History of the Business Phone

Antonio Meucci’s invention of the telephone (not Alexander Graham Bell’s as many have been taught) in 1871 began the era of telecommunication and marked the start of the telephone timeline that continues to grow to this day. Meucci, a brilliant Italian inventor, filed the first one-year renewable notice of an impending patent of the “teletrofono” on December 28, 1871.

Unfortunately, Meucci’s financial troubles combined with misfortune led to the disappearance of his working telephone models from Western Union Affiliate Laboratory. Subsequently, Alexander Graham Bell, who ran experiments at the same laboratory as Meucci, was granted a patent in March 1876. Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, passed away in October 1889, before Bell’s patent could be dispelled on grounds of fraud.

The initial controversy surrounding the true inventor of the telephone has all but faded. Innovators in the 20th century have continued to expand the telephone’s reach across the world and connecting its citizens. By the year 2000, more than a billion people all over the world had gone wireless using cellular technology to talk and deliver text and photos on lightweight telephones.

In less than two decades, the telephone timeline shifted from analog signals to digital communications like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that have revolutionized the telecommunications industry. Mobile phones have made headlines as they gradually evolved from expensive bricks to pocket-sized computers. Meanwhile, VoIP providers have helped to enhance international and business communication.

Below is a brief timeline of the telephone to show how we got to where we are today. The timeline begins with the first telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell and continues to the very first VoIP software.

VirtualPBX continues to evolve and is committed to keeping our customers at the forefront of business communications. Our part in the telephone timeline is solidified in our development of both award-winning Business Phone Plans and enterprise-grade features.