Journal Article

Author

O'Donnell, R. T.; Simpson, K. J.

Title

Subscriber trunk dialling in Australia

In

Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia

Imprint

vol. 38, no. 6, Jun 1966, pp. 103-116

Description

Paper No.2070, presented before the Engineering Conference, 1966, in Newcastle from 21st to 25th March, 1966.

Mr. R. T. O'Donnell AMIEAust, is Superintending Engineer, Planning Branch, Engineering Division, N.S.W., and Mr. K. J. Simpson AMIEAust, is Sectional Engineer, Switching and Facilities Planning Section, Headquarters Planning Branch, Melbourne, both of the Postmaster-General's Department.

[This article was also published in: "Telecommunications Journal of Australia", vol. 17, no.1, Feb 1967, pp.6-19, and that issue also includes brief biographies and photographs of the authors p.76.]

Abstract

For some time now the Australian Post Office has been planning and developing the telephone system for Australia within the framework of the telephone policy described in a White Paper entitled "Progress-Policy-Plans" issued in August, 1959. Included in the Policy is a long term objective of complete subscriber trunk dialling (S.T.D.) throughout the Commonwealth, i.e., all subscribers will be provided with automatic service and each subscriber will be able to dial any other subscriber in Australia without the intervention of a manual operator.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current position on the mechanisation of the trunk telephone service and the likely rate of progress in the future, together with those aspects to which special attention must be given. There will be a brief survey of the past development in the trunk system which has led to S.T.D. being a natural extension of the trunk service and some views will be expressed on the established target for expanding S.T.D., including the need for an appropriate programme of automatic trunk exchange installations. The special technical requirements for S.T.D. in the trunk network generally and trunk switching in particular will be examined and the close association required under S.T.D. conditions between switching, numbering and charging will be discussed to show the preparations which have been made for the expansion of S.T.D. throughout Australia. This will be followed by a general description of the equipment used in Australia for S.T.D.. including the new trunk switching equipment currently being installed.

The second part of the paper will deal with the progress of S.T.D. in New South Wales and discuss the background against which the early installations were made. Some details will be given of the problems of planning and designing the installations, particularly the problem of estimating the traffic which will occur under S.T.D. conditions. Finally, there will be some comment on the present plans for the New South Wales trunk network.

Related Published resources

References

• Banks, E. R., 'Crossbar switching equipment for the Australian telephone network', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 33 (4-5) (1961), 113-125. Details