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Wasted opportunities? The Great Northern Telegraph Company and the wireless challenge

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  • Kurt Jacobsen

Abstract

When the Great Northern Telegraph Company in 1913 bought the exclusive rights to exploit the Valdemar Poulsen Arc Transmitter it was not because the company wanted to take advantage of wireless telegraphy. Instead the company decided not to develop or implement the arc transmitter - a decision that has been described as a 'wasted opportunity'. This article, however, explores the behaviour of Great Northern and argues that there was little else the company could have done because of the structure of international telegraphy. Great Northern reacted as all other cable companies, and in this context the case of the Danish telegraph company is not just about the behaviour of one single firm. Rather, the case reveals important aspects of the business structures of international cable telegraphy and helps us to understand how one of the world's most powerful industries was brought to its knees by a new technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Kurt Jacobsen, 2010. "Wasted opportunities? The Great Northern Telegraph Company and the wireless challenge," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(2), pages 231-250.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:bushst:v:52:y:2010:i:2:p:231-250
    DOI: 10.1080/00076791003611871
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