Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!torsqnt!hybrid!scifi!bywater!uunet!telecom-request From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Northern Telecom in General Message-ID: Date: 15 Mar 91 15:07:58 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Reply-To: Julian Macassey Organization: Invisible Tatoos Inc Hollywood California U.S.A. Lines: 31 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 205, Message 1 of 11 In article sbrack@hpuxa.ircc. ohio-state.edu (Steven S. Brack) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 197, Message 7 of 7 > As I sit at this terminal, I'm loooking at a NT Touch*Tone desk > phone. In outward appearance it is much like the Western Electric > models I grew up with. ... > What strikes me most is how much this telephone resembles Western > Electric equipment. Did NT buy WE tooling or parts at some point? Northern Telecom (NT) at one time was called Canadian Bell; their R & D division was and still is as I recall called Bell Northern Research (BNR). This accounts for the similarities between US and Canadian Telco equipment and practices. Many companies make clones of Western Electric (AT&T) 500 and 2500 sets. 500 sets are rotary desk phones and yes, 2500 sets are the Touch Tone model. I am not sure if Western Electric ever receieved royalties on their phone designs. I know they get royalties on the modular plugs - or used to when I was buying them. The following companies make 500 and 2500 set clones: ITT, Comdial (Stromberg Carlson), Northern Telecom. Then there are the Korean clones usually imported by Vodavi, these are often labelled Premier. Julian Macassey, n6are julian@bongo.info.com ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495