BC Tel - History

History

In 1904 the Victoria & Esquimalt Telephone Company and the New Westminster & Burrard Inlet Telephone Company were taken over by The Vernon & Nelson Telephone Company. On July 5, 1904 the name of the company was changed to the British Columbia Telephone Company Limited. In 1916 the British Columbia Telephone Company Limited obtained a Federal charter and dropped the word Limited from its name.

Theodore Gary & Company bought a substantial interest in BC Telephone in December 1926 held in Canada under the Anglo-Canadian Telephone Company. Other Gary Companies at the time included International Automatic Telephone Company & British Insulated Cables. Mr G H Halse remained as President & General Manager of BC Telephone. BC Telephone participated in Canada's first coast to coast radio broadcast for Canada's Diamond Jubilee, July 1, 1927.

On the April 1 1929, a charter was obtained for a new company under BC Telephone to be called "North West Telephone Company". This company was created to experiment with Radio-Telephony as a method to serve areas of the province otherwise unreachable by wire. The first experiment was in providing a connection to Powell River from Campbell River, 50 miles across the water.

A new record for storm damage in the BC Telephone system was set little over a year after the previous record had been set. The rain and sleet began early in the morning of Monday January 21, 1935. There were 1500 poles and 700 miles of wire down in the Fraser valley. Victoria had 1800 telephones out of service. The trans Canada toll line wasn't back in service until February 10, 1935. The first photographs ever to be transmitted from Vancouver via Wire Photo Service took place during the King & Queen's visit on May 29, 1939.

GTE of Stamford Connecticut became a 50.2% owner of the BC Telephone Company when the Theodore Gary Company merged with GTE in 1955. The "North West Telephone Company" was officially merged into the BC Telephone Company on January 1, 1961. In 1979 the BC Telephone Company acquired Automatic Electric Canada and formed "AEL Microtel". Soon afterwards the name was shortened to "Microtel" In 1982 "BTE - Business Terminal Equipment" was formed to compete in the newly deregulated Premise Equipment field. BC Telephone formed "BC Cellular" in 1985 to compete in the new Cellular Telephone business. On May 1, 1993 BC Telephone reorganised under holding company "BC Telecom Inc" and changed its legal operating name to "BC Tel".