HISTORY OF
THE UNITED TELEPHONE COMPANY
On 1st day of June, 1880 The Telephone Company (Bell Patents) Ltd share holders agreed to form United Telephone Company Ltd (UTC) in conjunction with the Edison Telephone Company of London Ltd.

The UTC was duly formed in 1880 and held patents of Bell, Edison, Gower and many other.

In 1881 the UTC and the Gower Bell Telephone Company formed a new company called the Consolidated Telephone Construction and Maintenance Company Ltd to manufacture their telephones and equipment.

In the same year the UTC granted NTC a licence to use it's rights in order to develop telephone services in the provinces.

The UTC developed other similar provincial companies throughout the British Isles between 1881 and 1885.  The UTC then wished to create a new company for the amalgamation of all their associated companies.  However, the UK government declined to issue the proposed new company with a licence to operate or to allow the transfer of an existing licence.  The UTC then decided to use one of its provincial companies as a vehicle for their policy of amalgamation, starting in 1889 with the merger of the UTC with the Lancashire and Cheshire Telephone Company and the NTC.  The 'National Telephone Company Limited' name being retained and the United Telephone Company was liquidated.

 
 
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Last revised: December 26, 2021

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