Field Telephone

After Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone all early manufacturing of telephones was done by subsidiaries of the Bell Company, which were generally called Western Electric.

In pre-federation Australia the telephone exchanges in Sydney and Melbourne were sold to private companies before the newly federated country realised the value of these assets and set up the new Post Master General's Department (PMG). The PMG quickly standardised on Western Electric hardware and thus started a long government / industry collaboration.

After WW1 Western Electric diversified its product range to meet the ever-growing demand but shipping costs were an impediment. As many of the raw materials, like copper, were shipped to Britain for manufacturing, Western Electric founded Standard Telephones and Cables (Australasia) (STC) which, in 1926, started manufacturing telecommunications hardware in Chippendale Sydney.

By WW2 STC was established enough satisfy wartime requirements and the compromised supply chains forced the company build fully Australian made product. By the end of the WW2 STC was Australia's biggest manufacturer and remained active in the market through all the changes into the digital world and now operates as Alcatel Lucent.