Communications II: Telephones in the U.K.: Cautious progress: A few false starts, then a low-risk selection of staid switching technology

Only about 51 percent of all British households now have telephones, and the demand for new installations is very strong. At present there are 12.6 million telephone lines in use in Britain. That number is expected to grow steadily to about 20 million by 1982. The new lines will go overwhelmingly into homes and household penetration should reach 85 percent by 1985.