RADIO TELEPHONE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 62, 6 December 1930, Page 8

RADIO TELEPHONE

London to Wellington OPEN IN A FORTNIGHT It is anticipated that the wireless telephone between Wellington and London will be opened for commercial purposes within about a fortnight. The Wellington to Sydney service has been working satisfactorily since its inception, and although the use made of it has . not been very great, it is expected that the number of calls will increase considerably as time passes. The average number of calls to Sydney put through from Wellington since the inauguration of the service has been one and a half each day, and an average of three calls a day has been put through from Sydney to Wellington. Although this number does not appear to be very great it is confidently expected that the service will be used much more in the future. It has provided a valuable link with Australia, as it is possible for a business man to say enough in three minutes to Obviate the necessity of making an urgent trip to the Commonwealth. As was to be expected, the service has been used almost exclusively by business men. The price of making a connection removes the service from the realm of social intercourse except in very rare cases. So far the service has worked well from the mechanical viewpoint. The charge is made upon the time spent in effective conversation, and if the connection is interrupted by atmospheric conditions the caller is allowed his three minutes, or any longer time which he desires, of free talk. Naturally it is recognised that the postal department could not charge for a period during which reception was impossible at either end.