The long-distance and international calls were prohibitively expensive in the earlier days. However, technological improvement, capacity optimization, commercial agreements and inter-governmental deals...
The telephone has become such an intense metaphor of interpersonal communication that we take it as a part of life. To call someone always mean to phone someone. Talking to someone at times mean phoning someone. The telephone is a symbol of connectivity, and of the consequences of connectivity. Thus, a single telephone call can make much difference to a person’s life – professional rejection, romantic confessional, or anything else you can imagine. Ever since the telephone became a mass communication medium, it has become a part of our everyday life. The pre-telephonic days seem almost impossibly distant.
Communication infrastructure is a primary prerequisite for development, and early strides in spreading the technology were taken by both government and the private sector. As the copper-core PSTN network spread, longer and longer distances were covered under the service area. The long-distance and international calls were prohibitively expensive in the earlier days. However, technological improvement, capacity optimization, commercial agreements and inter-governmental deals, especially under the rubric of ITU, have brought about a truly connected world.
Today, the ISD code allows automatic dialing to most places on earth and the good old telephone-operator need not even be bothered. The increase in calling rate has more than made up for the loss in call rates. Today, local and long distance calls are initiated without so much thought as to how this has become possible.