Telecommunications services in the United Kingdom

The U.K. telecommunications system has been built up over many years and now forms a very extensive network. Broadband links on coaxial cable and microwave radio systems interconnect more than 150 towns and cities and by 1971 the total wide-band capacity is planned to exceed 170,000 MHz-miles of both-way transmission plant linking some 270 towns and cities. In the junction network the application of digital techniques is permitting multi-channel transmission to be economically employed over distances much shorter than has been possible in the past using analogue transmission and within two years it is planned to have more than 400 000 channel-miles of p.c.m. plant in use. The introduction of digital transmission into the junction network opens the door to new possibilities in the switching field. A variety of new services is in preparation and work in the research laboratories gives some pointers to the communication systems of the future