Editing Telecommunications in Malaysia (section)

==History==

{{main|History of telecommunications in Malaysia}}
For over a century, Malaysia's telecom system has evolved from colonial telegraph lines to a modern IP‑based network. The [[British Empire|British colonial administration]] present in Malaysia from the 18th century, established the country's earliest telecommunications facilities.{{Expand acronym|in|date=April 2025}} The administration first consolidated telegraph services under the Posts & Telegraphs Department in the 1800s, introducing manual [[magneto|magneto‑operated]] telephones in [[Perak]] in the 1880s and establishing the first public telephone exchange at [[Ipoh]] in 1902.

[[Kuala Lumpur]] received telephone service in 1891, and by 1915 an underground cable linked central Perak towns. At the turn of the century, a major telephone line connecting [[Seberang Perai|Province Wellesley (Seberang Prai)]] in [[Penang]] to [[Johor Bahru]] was constructed. In 1915, the first underground cable was laid, linking the central Pirak towns of [[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]], [[Kampar, Perak|Kampar]], and [[Teluk Intan|Teluk Anson]].

With increased trade and the development of townships, the number of telephone subscribers in [[Peninsular Malaysia]] grew significantly. By 1930, to handle the volume of telephone traffic, an automated magneto exchange was commissioned in Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Weld. In the 1930s, all telephone exchanges in the Malayan Trunk System could communicate with exchanges in [[Java]], the Philippines, the United States, Canada, and Mexico using [[Shortwave radio|shortwave radio-telephone transmitters]]. Towards the end of the decade, a Marconi Radio Terminal was installed at the Kuala Lumpur Telephone Exchange to manage overseas calls.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Milner|first=Robin|title=The Telecommunications History of Malaysia|year=2001|publisher=KL Heritage Press}}</ref>

Much of this telecommunication's infrastructure was damaged during [[World War II]] and the [[Japanese occupation of Malaya|Japanese occupation]]. In 1946, upon re-establishing their position in Malaya, the British repaired trunk routes, restored fallen telephone poles, and replaced damaged or stolen copper wires. During the Japanese occupation, the Posts & Telegraphs Department had been divided into two separate units. The British initially reunited the two entities upon their return, but this effort was short-lived. With the formation of the [[Malayan Union]] on April 1, 1946, the [[Malaysian Telecommunications Department]] and [[Pos Malaysia|Postal Services Department]] were created; the former controlled telegraph, telephone, and wireless services, while the latter oversaw mail, money orders, and savings accounts.