Nokia Bell Labs History - Nokia Bell Labs
Researchers at Nokia Bell Labs have been behind or involved in nearly every critical technological milestone for the last nine decades. We built the first lasers and transistors, discovered the origins of the universe and connected the world using communications satellites. We also invented implementable technologies like the solar battery and the first hearing aids, and made great theoretical leaps forward with the likes of Information Theory.
Every decade of existence has brought new ideas, new breakthroughs and new contributions to humanity. Here, we'll break down the essential ideas, people and concepts that shaped Bell Labs over time.
It all started with the telephone. Nokia Bell Labs had its roots in the consolidation of several engineering departments within the American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) company and the Western Electric company, the manufacturing organization for the Bell System. As pieces of the national communications network were deployed, these departments were tasked with overcoming AT&T's day-to-day engineering challenges. Simply put, the system had to work, and the earliest Bell Labs innovations started from the need to provide clear, reliable telephone connections. In the early decades of the Labs, there were incredible achievements in understanding loudness, the intricate science of human speech and hearing, capacity and early standardization testing. As these ancillary discoveries began to bubble to the surface in the 1920s, attention increasingly turned to exploring fundamental areas of science likely to shape the future of the industry.
As a result, in 1925 about 4,000 scientists and engineers were assigned to a newly created Bell Telephone Laboratories, and were to be fully dedicated to such research. In 1934, AT&T’s Development and Research Department, which had been devoted to bridging the gap between laboratory research and the operations of communication systems, was integrated into Bell Laboratories. Growth continued as engineers from development departments were also folded into Bell Laboratories.
