Electric Lightwave officially dedicates state-of-the-art digital telephone switch in Utah.SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 1996--Historic. Monumental. Colossal. As significant dates in Utah's communications history go, Aug. 21, 1996, should be right up there at the top. Aug. 21, 1996 -- the day Electric Lightwave Inc. (ELI Eli (ē`lī), in the Bible, high priest and judge of Israel, teacher of the boy Samuel. 1. (language) ELI - An early system on the IBM 705 and IBM 650. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. 2. ) officially dedicated its state-of-the-art digital telephone switch, providing both local and long-distance service available to downtown Salt Lake City Downtown Salt Lake City is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah. The grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake City Temple. . Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and ELI President Dave Sharkey used a pair of bolt cutters A bolt cutter is a tool used for cutting chains, bolts and wire mesh. They typically have very long handles and short blades, with compound hinges to maximize leverage and cutting force. to sever a copper cable at the dedication ceremony, thus symbolizing the end of one era and the beginning of another. Electric Lightwave, a Vancouver, Wash.-based communications company Communications Company is a communications unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are part of Combat Logistics Regiment 37 , 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3MLG) and III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. , was the first telecommunications company See telecom company. to be authorized as an alternative local telephone service provider west of the Mississippi. In January 1994, ELI was also the first to apply for -- and the first to be granted -- authority to provide competitive local phone service in Utah. In August of 1995, ELI was the first competitive communications company given the go-ahead by the Utah Public Service Commission to provide services within the state. And today, ELI is the first to announce to downtown customers they now can "Declare Their Independence" from their local telephone company and begin realizing the benefits of competition. ELI's Utah General Manager John Kennedy is "proud and committed" to this huge undertaking. "I'm excited that Salt Lake City is one of the first cities in the nation to experience this kind of competition," Kennedy said, noting that ELI offers a true alternative "and not simply a re-packaged, re-sold service from the incumbent local telephone company." As a full-service communications company, ELI has been delivering private line services in Salt Lake City for more than two years on its SONET-based fiber-optic network. Teaming with Salt Lake City's first commercial Internet Service Provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. , Xmission, ELI used its network to broadcast the news conference "live" on the Internet. Both audio and video were delivered using White Pines' CU-SeeMe conferencing software. Kennedy said the entire Salt Lake City team was "committed to delivering the benefits of competition to customers through outstanding service, competitive prices and an ever-expanding menu of product and service offerings." The arrival of local competition is a key ingredient in Gov. Leavitt's Technology 2000 initiative. In his State of the State Address The State of the State Address (alternatively Condition of the State Address) is a speech customarily given once each year by the governors of most states of the United States. some 18 months ago (Jan. 17, 1994), Gov. Leavitt stated that government investment in telecommunications "would never be enough. We must form partnerships with the private sector." The governor went on to predict that several communications companies -- including Electric Lightwave -- "will be our partners. They are committed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a fiber optics fiber optics, transmission of digitized messages or information by light pulses along hair-thin glass fibers. Each fiber is surrounded by a cladding having a high index of refractance so that the light is internally reflected and travels the length of the fiber superhighway, from Logan to St. George, Wendover to Vernal vernal /ver·nal/ (ver´n'l) pertaining to or occurring in the spring. ." Kennedy said ELI has already invested some $35 million in the region. In addition to the switch investment, ELI will have installed 150 fiber miles throughout Salt Lake City, Provo and Ogden -- more than any other new industry arrival. "Electric Lightwave is here for the long run," Kennedy said. "We believe very strongly in Utah and we are proud to be the first to offer the benefits of competition to Salt Lake City." Based in Vancouver, Wash., ELI is a full-service communications company which owns and operates telecommunications systems in several Western states. ELI is a subsidiary of Citizens Utilities, a diversified growth company offering telecommunications, gas, electric and water services. SIGNIFICANT DATES IN UTAH TELECOMMUNICATIONS HISTORY September 1880 Telephone exchange opens in Ogden Feb. 26, 1883 Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co. forms with financial help from American Bell An AT&T trade name used after Divestiture. Federal court order later prohibited its use. Co. (later to become AT&T). Company quickly purchases Ogden Telephone Exchange Co., Park City Idaho Telephone and Telegraph Co. and the Montana Telephone and Telegraph Co. First long distance wire strung between Salt Lake City and Park City. July 17, 1911 Mountain States The Mountain States (also known as the Mountain West) form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau. Telephone and Telegraph forms, serving 160,000 subscribers June 17, 1914 First transcontinental line was spliced in Wendover, Utah Wendover is a city in Tooele County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census. Wendover is on the western border of Utah, and is contiguous with West Wendover, Nevada. Interstate 80 runs through both cities. . Aug. 17, 1940 First dial phone service arrives in Salt Lake City July 15, 1967 Roosevelt, Utah Roosevelt is a city in Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 4,299 at the 2000 census. Geography Roosevelt is located at (40.298721, -109.994035)GR1. , converts to dial service, thus completing Mountain Bell's 46-year modernization program October 1967 Bell Labs field tests three-channel data set in Salt Lake City June 27, 1968 Carterfone decision, allows customer-owned equipment July 1968 Salt Lake City becomes the first Mountain States city to get the new 12-button touch tone phone Nov. 20, 1974 U.S. Department of Justice filed antitrust suit against AT&T. Jan. 1, 1984 Divestiture January 1994 Electric Lightwave becomes first applicant and first authorized to offer competitive telephone service in Utah. March 20, 1995 Gov. Leavitt signs Utah Telecommunications Reform Act. Aug. 16, 1995 Electric Lightwave becomes first competitive communications company to be granted full intra- state authority in Utah March 26, 1996 Interim interconnection agreement reached with incumbent LEC (1) (LAN Emulation Client) A software driver that provides LAN emulation (LANE) in an ATM network. It resides in an ATM end station or in a computer system that provides the LAN to ATM conversion, often known as a LAN access device. See LANE. Aug. 21, 1996 ELI announces competitive local service returns to Utah. CONTACT: John Kennedy, 801/521-3000 |
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