COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3661

Telephone Equipment

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

30companies1904–1997founding years30still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAcme-Cleveland Corp.
1904
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGTE Corporation
1920
FoundedRockwell International Corporation
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedSharp Corporation
1935
FoundedMinolta Co., Ltd.
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedSony Corporation
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
FoundedCobra Electronics Corporation
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAlpine Electronics, Inc.
1967
FoundedElectromagnetic Sciences Inc.FoundedGeneral DataComm Industries, Inc.
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedDSC Communications Corporation
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedOctel Communications Corp.
1982
FoundedBell Atlantic Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAdtran Inc.FoundedSynOptics Communications, Inc.
1985
FoundedStrataCom, Inc.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedExecutone Information Systems, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Acme-Cleveland Corp. →
Active · founded 1904
For over a century, Acme-Cleveland Corp.
GTE Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
GTE Corporation ranked as the world's third-largest publicly owned telecommunications company in 1996.
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
Cable and Wireless plc →
Active · founded 1929 · United Kingdom
As a provider of telecommunications services in more than 50 countries around the globe, Cable and Wireless plc is a…
Sharp Corporation →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
The Sharp Corporation is one of the largest and oldest Japanese consumer goods manufacturers.
Minolta Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Since Kazuo Tashima began using German technology to produce one camera a day in 1928, Minolta Co., Ltd.
Grundig AG →
Active · founded 1945 · Germany
Grundig AG is a German consumer electronics manufacturer with significant shares in the market for television sets,…
Sony Corporation →
Active · founded 1946 · Japan
The Sony Corporation is one of the best-known names in consumer electronics.
Racal-Datacom Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Racal-Datacom Inc.
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Cobra Electronics Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Cobra Electronics Corporation designs and markets consumer electronics products like cordless telephones, telephone…
ECI Telecom Ltd. →
Active · founded 1961 · Israel
ECI Telecom Ltd.
Alpine Electronics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967 · Japan
Alpine Electronics, Inc., is one of the world's leading manufacturers of sophisticated audio, navigational, and…
Aydin Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
A world class provider of products and systems for the acquisition and distribution of information over electronic…
Electromagnetic Sciences Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Electromagnetic Sciences Inc.
General DataComm Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
General DataComm Industries is a leading provider of multimedia networks and telecommunications equipment used by…
Mitel Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Canada
Mitel Corporation is an international supplier of telecommunications products and solutions and a pioneer in…
DSC Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1976
DSC Communications Corporation is a leading designer, developer, manufacturer, and marketer of digital switching,…
Comdial Corporation →
Active · founded 1977
As of 1997, Comdial Corporation was the second largest U.S.
Octel Communications Corp. →
Active · founded 1982
Octel Communications Corp.
Bell Atlantic Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Bell Atlantic Corporation is growing ever-more prominent in U.S.
ESS Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
ESS Technology, Inc.
Adtran Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
In 1970, a 29-year-old electronics entrepreneur named Mark Smith founded Universal Data Systems (UDS) in Huntsville,…
Aspect Telecommunications Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Aspect Telecommunications Corporation is a global provider of telephone call distribution and information management…
SynOptics Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
SynOptics Communications, Inc.
StrataCom, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
StrataCom, Inc.
Cabletron Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Cabletron Systems, Inc.
Executone Information Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Executone Information Systems, Inc.
Hayes Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Hayes Corporation is a leading manufacturer in the personal computer (PC) modem industry.
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