Carterfone
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The Carterfone is a device invented by Thomas Carter. It connects a two-way mobile radio system to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The base station of the mobile radio system supplied electrical power for it.
It was electrically connected to the base station of the mobile radio system, and the electrical parts were encased in bakelite. When someone on the radio wished to speak to someone on phone, or "landline", the station operator at the base would dial the number and place the handset on the Carterfone. The device was acoustically, but not electrically, connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network, and did not have the capacity to damage the PSTN.
This particular device was involved in a landmark United States regulatory decision related to telecommunications. The 1968 Federal Communications Commission allowed the Carterfone and other devices to be connected directly to the AT&T network, as long as they did not cause damage to the system. This ruling created the possibility of selling devices that could connect to the phone system and opened up the market to numerous products, including answering machines, fax machines, cordless phones, computer modems and the early, dialup Internet.
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- Cybertelecom :: Customer Premise Equipment - FCC Regulations concerning attachment and marketing of CPE
