1. - ericssonhistory.com

The quality of cable construction would have suffered, since satisfactoryresults depend largely on careful and accurate planning and efficient management.The network comprises some 14,000 poles and 100 kilometres of overheadcable. Part of the plant had admittedly been reconditioned by 1952, butthe larger part of the work remained to be done.The indispensable investment in the network for the years 1953—1960was estimated at 117 million marks, covering the following average annualrequirements of materials: 1,200 impregnated poles, 9,000 kg 2 mm steelwire, and 3.5 million marks worth of cable. Linesmen's wages amount tosome 4 million marks per annum.The trunk cables consist of old 3 mm steel wire, and. on grounds ofattenuation, must in due course be replaced by 2.5 mm copper wire in manyplaces.Between group centres and terminal exchanges 2 mm copper cadmiumwire is already being used, as well as for very distant subscribers.Mariehamn—Jomala is to be loaded in the near future, and Odkarby—Mariehamn is to be provided with a carrier system, so attaining an attenuationgain of 0.2 nepers at the Odkarby group centre. Vardo is to be connectedin due course to Jomala by radio link. Subsidiary automatic exchanges andparty lines have been successfully employed where justified on economicgrounds. Nevertheless the principle has been to employ these systems onlywhen absolutely necessary for economic reasons. Such expedients alwaysimply some kind of makeshift, with the restrictions attendant thereon.The Zone CentreThe equipment needed at the zone centre at Mariehamn for mechanizationof the rural area has been procured by Mariehamns Telefon AB. A writtenagreement has been drawn up in respect to its joint use. An automaticswitchingstage of L M Ericsson's type ARM 50 (GVN) for 24 volt operationwas brought into use in September 1956. At the same time the dial lines11000-11999S.,'[RegI-GVLV1.1-6VLV12000-12999Qkj] GIV-Nx8012Fig. 3Mariehamn local exchange (linefindersS, 1st group selectors I-GV and finalselectors LV) and the transit stage oftype ARM 50 (GVN) with junctionsFIR-L and FDUKR to Mariehamn andother exchanges11