Microtel
Title
Microtel
AEL Microtel
Microtel Pacific Research
Type
Company
Coverage
Brockville, ON
BC
Begin Date
1979-01-01
Active Until
1998-01-01
Location
100 Strowger Blvd., Brockville, ON (1979-1989)
BC (1990)
Product Areas
Computing
Communications
Telephony
Satellites
Activities
Manufacturing
Designing
Timeline
- 1979 – AEL Microtel is formed from a merger between Lenkurt Electric (Canada) Ltd. and Automatic Electric (Canada) Ltd. due to declining profitability. Both are owned by General Telephone and Electronics (GTE), a US Company which also owns the British Columbia Telephone Company (BCTel), and AEL Microtel is directly answerable to BCTel, which is itself owned by GTE’s arm, Anglo-Canadian Telephone Co.. Company occupies a plant site at 100 Strowger Blvd., Brockville, ON, owned by BCTel. (The supply of communications equipment in Canada: 26–27; DavePEI, “Automatic Electric (Canada) History”)
- 1981 – Company operates its former merging companies as divisions: “Automatic has become Microtel’s switching and subscriber division…” operating at a manufacturing facility in Brockville, ON., and Lethbridge, AB. “Lenkurt has become Microtel’s transmission division…” manufacturing radio, multiplexing “and other transmission equipment” with plants in Burnaby, BC., and plants in Saskatoon and Winnipeg. (The supply of communications equipment in Canada: 29)
- 1982 – The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Columbia Telephone Co., gets a large contract in India’s communications market, selling 5,500 echo suppressors, used to suppress echoes on long-distance calls. Has around 3,500 employees in Canada. (“AEL Microtel, a subsidiary of British Columbia Telephone Co…”)
- 1983 – AEL Microtel begins a five year process switch “from manufacturing to a market-driven company with manufacturing and R&D capabilities” in order to improve profitability. (“Microtel banking on switch”)
- 1983 – Microtel develops a small satellite ground station for satellite telephone communications designed for use in remote locations. (Friesen, “System puts remote areas just a phone call away”)
- 1987 – BCTel sells off part of Microtel? Possible formation of Microtel Pacific Research as BCTel’s retained component of Microtel, which is then later renamed back to Microtel. (Jordan, “Innovation Calling: Norman Dowds”)
- 1988 – Microtel’s profitability is struggling. A planned satellite project, VSAT, is scrapped. (Smith, “Microtel banking on switch”)
- 1989, Sept. – Northern Telecom buys Microtel’s plant in Brockville, ON, also purchasing the company’s “central office switching business”, GTD-5 equipment. The proposal also plans to create a new company to coordinate “the network management systems businesses of both Northern Telecom and Microtel”, 51% owned by Northern Telecom. The new plant to be located in Burnaby or Richmond, BC. (May, “NorTel plans to buy Brockville plant”; Smith, “B.C. Tel, Northern Tel create new company”; Smith, “New firm sees software opportunities”)
- 1990 – The Northern Telecom and Microtel company is named Prism Systems Inc., “aimed at the global telecommunications market” producing network management systems and transmission equipment and services. and located in British Columbia. (Smith, “Northern Telecom, B.C. Tel link up in new joint enterprise”)
- 1998 – Microtel described as the “manufacturing division of BCTel”. (Ristelhueber, “Pulling the plug”)
- 1999 – BCTel buys and merges with Telus, the Alberta telephone operator, operating from Burnaby. (Wikipedia, “BC Tel”)
- 1981 – Company operates its former merging companies as divisions: “Automatic has become Microtel’s switching and subscriber division…” operating at a manufacturing facility in Brockville, ON., and Lethbridge, AB. “Lenkurt has become Microtel’s transmission division…” manufacturing radio, multiplexing “and other transmission equipment” with plants in Burnaby, BC., and plants in Saskatoon and Winnipeg. (The supply of communications equipment in Canada: 29)
- 1982 – The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Columbia Telephone Co., gets a large contract in India’s communications market, selling 5,500 echo suppressors, used to suppress echoes on long-distance calls. Has around 3,500 employees in Canada. (“AEL Microtel, a subsidiary of British Columbia Telephone Co…”)
- 1983 – AEL Microtel begins a five year process switch “from manufacturing to a market-driven company with manufacturing and R&D capabilities” in order to improve profitability. (“Microtel banking on switch”)
- 1983 – Microtel develops a small satellite ground station for satellite telephone communications designed for use in remote locations. (Friesen, “System puts remote areas just a phone call away”)
- 1987 – BCTel sells off part of Microtel? Possible formation of Microtel Pacific Research as BCTel’s retained component of Microtel, which is then later renamed back to Microtel. (Jordan, “Innovation Calling: Norman Dowds”)
- 1988 – Microtel’s profitability is struggling. A planned satellite project, VSAT, is scrapped. (Smith, “Microtel banking on switch”)
- 1989, Sept. – Northern Telecom buys Microtel’s plant in Brockville, ON, also purchasing the company’s “central office switching business”, GTD-5 equipment. The proposal also plans to create a new company to coordinate “the network management systems businesses of both Northern Telecom and Microtel”, 51% owned by Northern Telecom. The new plant to be located in Burnaby or Richmond, BC. (May, “NorTel plans to buy Brockville plant”; Smith, “B.C. Tel, Northern Tel create new company”; Smith, “New firm sees software opportunities”)
- 1990 – The Northern Telecom and Microtel company is named Prism Systems Inc., “aimed at the global telecommunications market” producing network management systems and transmission equipment and services. and located in British Columbia. (Smith, “Northern Telecom, B.C. Tel link up in new joint enterprise”)
- 1998 – Microtel described as the “manufacturing division of BCTel”. (Ristelhueber, “Pulling the plug”)
- 1999 – BCTel buys and merges with Telus, the Alberta telephone operator, operating from Burnaby. (Wikipedia, “BC Tel”)
Sources
“AEL Microtel, a subsidiary of British Columbia Telephone Co…” UPI, April 26, 1982 (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/04/26/AEL-Microtel-a-subsidiary-of-British-Columbia-Telephone-Co/6488388641600/)
“BC Tel” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BC_Tel) [01-11-24]
DavePEI, “Automatic Electric (Canada) History” Thread, Oct. 8, 2015 07:58:25 AM Classic Rotary Phones (https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=15047.msg156237#msg156237) [01-11-24]
Friesen, Carl. “System puts remote areas just a phone call away” The Calgary Herald, July 23, 1983: 78.
Jordan, David “Innovation Calling: Norman Dowds” BC Business, August 5, 2009 (https://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/general/innovation-calling-norman-dowds/) [01-11-23]
May, Kathryn “NorTel plans to buy Brockville plant” Ottawa Citizen, January 14, 1989: 104 [F10])
Ristelhueber, Robert. “Pulling the plug” Electronic Business 24, Iss. 9 (September 1998): 77–82
Smith, David. “Microtel banking on switch” The Vancouver Sun, July 9, 1988: 23
Smith, David. “B.C. Tel, Northern Tel create new company” The Vancouver Sun, 1, 1989.
Smith, David. “New firm sees software opportunities” The Vancouver Sun, 4, 1989: 33
Smith, “Northern Telecom, B.C. Tel link up in new joint enterprise” The Vancouver Sun, January 25, 1990: 35
The supply of communications equipment in Canada Canada Communications Economics Branch, Department of Communications (c. 1981) (https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2024/isde-ised/co22/Co22-59-1981-eng.pdf) [01-11-24]
“BC Tel” Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BC_Tel) [01-11-24]
DavePEI, “Automatic Electric (Canada) History” Thread, Oct. 8, 2015 07:58:25 AM Classic Rotary Phones (https://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=15047.msg156237#msg156237) [01-11-24]
Friesen, Carl. “System puts remote areas just a phone call away” The Calgary Herald, July 23, 1983: 78.
Jordan, David “Innovation Calling: Norman Dowds” BC Business, August 5, 2009 (https://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/general/innovation-calling-norman-dowds/) [01-11-23]
May, Kathryn “NorTel plans to buy Brockville plant” Ottawa Citizen, January 14, 1989: 104 [F10])
Ristelhueber, Robert. “Pulling the plug” Electronic Business 24, Iss. 9 (September 1998): 77–82
Smith, David. “Microtel banking on switch” The Vancouver Sun, July 9, 1988: 23
Smith, David. “B.C. Tel, Northern Tel create new company” The Vancouver Sun, 1, 1989.
Smith, David. “New firm sees software opportunities” The Vancouver Sun, 4, 1989: 33
Smith, “Northern Telecom, B.C. Tel link up in new joint enterprise” The Vancouver Sun, January 25, 1990: 35
The supply of communications equipment in Canada Canada Communications Economics Branch, Department of Communications (c. 1981) (https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2024/isde-ised/co22/Co22-59-1981-eng.pdf) [01-11-24]
Collection
Citation
“Microtel,” Precision Instrument Culture in Canada, accessed November 18, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/instrument-precision/items/show/8247.
Position: 94 (4 views)