New Jersey Bell - Innovations and Firsts

Innovations and Firsts

After Bell Labs moved from New York to New Jersey, they often installed new technological developments there, before deploying farther afield.

• 1951 New Jersey Bell was the first Bell Operating Company to deploy Direct Distance Dialing for long distance telephone calls in Englewood, NJ. Previously, all long distance calls had to be handled through an operator.
• 1965 The first installation of the first Bell System electronic switching system, the Western Electric 1ESS, was installed at New Jersey Bell's Succasuna central office. Prior to the 1ESS switch, switching was achieved under electromechanical control.
• 1987 New Jersey Bell was the first to introduce Caller ID service. The first Caller ID box was sold at a Sears store in Jersey City, NJ, was manufactured by Colonial Data Technologies, and branded AT&T.
• 2006 Verizon New Jersey was the first company to file application for a video franchise under New Jersey's new centralized video franchise law. Previously, cable television providers had to file with every municipality in which they wished to provide service individually, thus making Verizon New Jersey the state's first statewide competitive "cable company".