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Telephone Era in Alberta >> The People
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Labour >> Installers
Historically, installers were charged with the task of putting
phones in buildings and connecting them to the nearest cable, a
process that involved running wires inside the building to the
location of the telephone.
As the telephone became a standard fixture in homes and offices,
however, newer buildings were constructed with telephone wiring in
place. The installer’s job then changed, to one wherein he brought
the rental telephone to a subscriber and connected it directly to
those wires emerging from the wall.
Residential customers no longer need the services of an
installer, as most homes are equipped with phone jacks.
Commercial buildings, on the other hand, still require many lines
to accommodate different tenants. Before such buildings were
constructed pre-wired, installers did the wiring themselves,
ensuring the existence of conduits capable of carrying these lines.
Later, installers would run the lines/cable through existing
conduit and connect the lines to a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) or
a Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX).
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Heritage Community Foundation and
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