CNCP Telecommunications
Encyclopedia
Electrical telegraph
An electrical telegraph is a telegraph that uses electrical signals, usually conveyed via telecommunication lines or radio. The electromagnetic telegraph is a device for human-to-human transmission of coded text messages....
operator and later as a telecom company. CNCP was created as a joint venture between Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
in 1967, replacing the different networks used by the two railway companies (CN Telegraph interchanged traffic with the Postal Telegraph Cable Company in the US while CPR Telegraphs networked with Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
). The two networks, former rivals, had been co-operating increasingly since the 1930s By 1980, CNCP was no longer a telegraph company and emerged as an early telecom company. A 40% stake was acquired by Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
in 1984 and CP acquired CN's stake. The network was dissolved in 1988 and Rogers renamed the company Unitel Communications Incorporated in 1989. The new company later was acquired by AT&T Canada
AT&T Canada
AT&T Canada was a Canadian long-distance telephone service provider, the Canadian subsidiary of American telecommunications company AT&T Communications between the early 1990s and 2003. It was then renamed Allstream, as a result of AT&T's declining participation in the company. AT&T sold its...
. AT&T Canada later changed its name to allstream and was acquired by MTS
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
.