NEWSfrom All Quarters of the "World - ericssonhistory.com

NEWS fromAll Quarters of the "WorldMillionth 500-Line SelectorGift to DesignerAt a ceremony at the Soderhamnfactory of L M Ericsson on Wednesday,October 12, 1960, the millionth500-line selector passed along the assemblyline to its final testing station.Among those present were MessrsSven T Aberg, knut Kaell, MaltePatricks and Hans Werthen.In a speech to mark the occasionMr Aberg thanked all those who havebrought the company's products to theposition they occupy on the worldmarket today. His remarks wereaddressed especially to Mr Kaell, thedesigner of the 500-selector, whichhad now reached the million mark.Mr Aberg presented the jubileeselector to Mr Kaell as a memento.The basic principle of the 500-selector is the bare wire multiple inventedin 1913 by Axel Hultman,Telephone Director of the SwedishTelecommunications Administration.In 1918 Knut Kaell made a study ofthe most suitable size of selector inrelation to cost and volume, andfound that a 500-line selector wouldbest meet the requirements. In cooperationwith David Lienzen hedesigned a prototype of the 500-selectorwith bare wire multiple, whichL M Ericsson still manufactures.The first exchange operating on thissystem was opened in Rotterdam onMay 10, 1923, being followed byexchanges at Hamar and Kristiansundin Norway in the autumn of the sameyear, and at Stockholm, Norra Vasa,at the New Year 1924. Orders thereafterflowed in in rapid succession. Bythe end of 1949, 500,000 of theselectors had been made at the headfactory in Stockholm.The 500-selector of today is stillbased on the original ideas, though certainparts have been redesigned andimproved in the course of the years.New production methods, new materials,and the severer operating requirementsof exchanges have beenthe guiding factors.All in all, at the year end 1959,3,111,940 lines were connected to L MEricsson 500-selector exchanges, and401,110 lines were on order. Someexchange equipments have been manufacturedby subsidiary companies,Elektrisk Bureau in Norway andFATME in Italy. The oldest exchangesare still operating with theoriginal selectors.(Above) Mr Sven T Aberg, president of L MEricsson, presents the millionth selector to thedesigner, Mr Knut Kaell.(Below) Messrs Kaell and Patricks, JohnEricsson, Manager of the Soderhamn factory,Gosta Eriksson, foreman, and Mr Werthenfollow the selector on its passage along theassembly line.