Abstract :
The present state of the international telephone service is of interest because pre-war techniques are, in many cases, obsolete and because, in any event, dislocations caused by the war necessitate some revision. This paper gives general information about foreign telephone systems, outlines continental networks and their interconnection, and describes future planning procedure and the progress already made. Specialists in international telephony believe that the traffic will expand quickly with a rapid and efficient service. To provide higher speed, manual operation must be replaced by semi- or fully-automatic methods. Consequently, existing national services need reviewing and, if necessary, replanning as integral parts of the international system. The modernization of some foreign national systems is discussed, with particular regard to quicker service. There is striking evidence that harmony between nations is likely to be obtained only by mutual understanding, and that international communication should form one of the principal ties upon which the future of civilization will depend. It is probably unavoidable that national and international projects will be needing expenditure simultaneously, and it will be a tragedy if the expansion of the international service is stifled in order to allow a disproportionate effort on the national services.
