Editing Communications in Gibraltar (section)

===History===
[[File:Telex1.jpg|thumb|Site of the first telephone exchange in City Mill Lane.]]
The first submarine [[telegraph]] [[Submarine communications cables|cable]] started its operation in Gibraltar in 1870.<ref name="ellicott">{{cite book | title=Our Gibraltar | first=Dorothy | last=Ellicott | year=1975 | publisher=Gibraltar Museum Committee | author-link=Dorothy Ellicott | pages=111}}</ref> Gibraltar was a landing point of the long-range submarine cable that from [[Porthcurno]], in the United Kingdom ran to [[Lisbon]], Gibraltar, Malta, [[Alexandria]], [[Suez]], [[Aden]], [[Bombay]], over land to the east coast of India, then on to [[Penang]], Malacca, Singapore, [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] (current [[Jakarta]]), to finally reach [[Darwin, Australia]]. It was the first direct link between Australia and Great Britain.<ref name="Falmouth">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html | title=Mother Earth Mother Board | magazine=[[Wired News]] | author=Neal Stephenson}}</ref> The company that laid the first part of the cable took the name of [[Falmouth, Gibraltar and Malta Telegraph Company]] and had been founded in 1869.<ref name="Falmouth" /> This company later operated as the [[Eastern Telegraph Company]] from [[Mount Pleasant (Gibraltar)|Mount Pleasant]] in Gibraltar and eventually became [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]].

The first telephones were introduced to Gibraltar in 1886 by a private company which was later taken over by the colonial authorities. The first [[radio|wireless message]] was transmitted to Gibraltar in 1903.<ref name="ellicott" /> Since 1926, the telephone service was operated by the [[Gibraltar City Council|City Council]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Community and identity. The making of modern Gibraltar since 1704 | author=Stephen Constantine | author-link = Stephen Constantine (historian) | publisher=Manchester University Press | isbn=978-0-7190-8054-8 | year=2009 | pages=337}}</ref> An automatic exchange was installed in the last floor of the [[Gibraltar City Hall|City Hall]].<ref name="Telefónica">{{cite book | title=Colección Histórico-Tecnológica de Telefónica | first=Rafael | last=Romero Frías | editor=Fundación Arte y Tecnología de [[Telefónica]] | isbn=84-604-9745-3 | year=1994 | location=Madrid | pages=68–69 | language=es}}</ref> On 4 April 1927, following an agreement signed between the [[Compañía Telefónica Nacional de España]], the Spanish incumbent telecommunications operator, and the Gibraltar City Council, direct communications between Spain and Gibraltar were established.<ref name="Telefónica" />

Upon the approval of the [[Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969|1969 Constitution]] and the dissolution of the City Council, the telephone service was transferred to the newly formed [[Government of Gibraltar]]. In the 1970s there were three generations of automatic telephone exchange equipment in use with four and five digit numbers. The volume of calls grew and a [[System X (telephony)|System X]] digital exchange was installed.

Until 1990, all telephone services were operated by the [[Gibraltar Government Telephone Department]]. International circuits were provided by [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable & Wireless]], present in Gibraltar since 1870 as the Falmouth, Malta, Gibraltar Telegraph Company. However, Cable & Wireless left Gibraltar in 1987.<ref>[http://www.slideshare.net/edapress/expansion-2567633 Gibtelecom acaba de lanzar el roaming de prepago con Vodafone], EDA Press (in Spanish)</ref> On 1 January 1988, [[British Telecom]] (BT) and the Government of Gibraltar formed a joint venture company called [[Gibraltar Telecommunications International Ltd]] (known by its commercial brand [[Gibtel]]) to operate Gibraltar's international telecommunications services.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.btplc.com/thegroup/BTsHistory/1984onwards/1988.htm |title=BT Archives: 1988 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=29 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729143351/http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/BTsHistory/1984onwards/1988.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gibtel was subsequently granted a licence to offer mobile telephony introducing a [[GSM frequency bands#GSM-900, GSM-1800 and EGSM/EGSM-900|GSM900]] network.

In 1990, the Government decided to [[privatise]] its Telephone Department and therefore entered into a joint venture with [[Nynex]] of the United States. [[Gibraltar Nynex Communications Ltd]] (GNC) became responsible for [[landline|fixed-line telephony]]. GNC was the first acquisition of Nynex outside the Americas.<ref name="interview">{{Cite web |url=http://www.winne.com/europe/gibraltar/report/2005/interviews/gib_timbristow.php |title=Interview with Mr. Tim Bristow (2005) |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081213183757/http://www.winne.com/europe/gibraltar/report/2005/interviews/gib_timbristow.php |archive-date=13 December 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> In 1997, GNC, through its wholly owned subsidiary, GNC Networks, commenced Internet services. GNC Networks was later renamed [[GibConnect]]. [[ADSL]] services were introduced in 2002.

In 2001, BT sold its 50% stake in Gibtel to GNC. Both companies subsequently merged to form [[Gibtelecom]], a joint venture between the Government of Gibraltar and Nynex's successor company, [[Verizon]]. The name Gibtelecom begun to be used in July 2002, and as of 1 October 2003 this name was formally adopted by the company (which up until then was still Gibraltar Nynex Communications).<ref name="2008report">[http://www.gibtele.com/Site_Files/Site_Resources/AbridgedVersion2009.pdf Abridged Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2008]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In April 2007, Verizon sold its shares to [[Telekom Slovenije]]<ref name="company_profile">[http://www.gibtele.com/corporate/companyprofile.qxp Gibtelecom Company Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411142138/http://www.gibtele.com/corporate/CompanyProfile.qxp |date=11 April 2008 }}</ref> which is the incumbent telecommunications operator in Slovenia and is quoted on the [[Ljubljana Stock Exchange]].<ref name="company_profile" />