The Isle of Man has an extensive communications infrastructure consisting of telephone cables, submarine cables, and an array of television and mobile phone transmitters and towers. ==Telecommunications== ===Telegraph=== The history of Manx telecommunications starts in 1859, when the Isle of Man Electric Telegraph Company was formed on the island with the intention of connecting across the island by telegraph, and allowing messages to be sent onwards to the UK.
In August 1859, a long cable was commissioned from Glass, Elliot and Company of Greenwich and laid from Cranstal (north of Ramsey) to St Bees in Cumbria using the chartered cable ship Resolute.
In England, the telegraph was connected to Whitehaven and the circuits of the Electric Telegraph Company. The telegraph offices were located at 64 Athol Street, Douglas (also the company's head office) and at East Quay, Ramsey (now Marina House). On 10 August 1860 the company was statutorily incorporated by an Act of Tynwald with a capital of £5,500. The currents at Cranstal proved too strong, and in 1864 the cable was taken up and relaid further south, at Port-e-Vullen in Ramsey Bay.
In England, the telegraph was connected to Whitehaven and the circuits of the Electric Telegraph Company. The telegraph offices were located at 64 Athol Street, Douglas (also the company's head office) and at East Quay, Ramsey (now Marina House). On 10 August 1860 the company was statutorily incorporated by an Act of Tynwald with a capital of £5,500. The currents at Cranstal proved too strong, and in 1864 the cable was taken up and relaid further south, at Port-e-Vullen in Ramsey Bay.
It was later relaid to land even further south at Port Cornaa. Following the 1869 finalisation of UK telegraph nationalisation into a General Post Office monopoly, the Isle of Man Telegraph Company was nationalised in 1870 under the Telegraph Act 1870 (an Act of Parliament) at a cost to the British Government of £16,106 (paid in 1872 following arbitration proceedings over the value).
It was later relaid to land even further south at Port Cornaa. Following the 1869 finalisation of UK telegraph nationalisation into a General Post Office monopoly, the Isle of Man Telegraph Company was nationalised in 1870 under the Telegraph Act 1870 (an Act of Parliament) at a cost to the British Government of £16,106 (paid in 1872 following arbitration proceedings over the value).
It was later relaid to land even further south at Port Cornaa. Following the 1869 finalisation of UK telegraph nationalisation into a General Post Office monopoly, the Isle of Man Telegraph Company was nationalised in 1870 under the Telegraph Act 1870 (an Act of Parliament) at a cost to the British Government of £16,106 (paid in 1872 following arbitration proceedings over the value).
Not having the resources to fund expansion or a link to England, Gillmore sold his licence to the National Telephone Company and stayed on as their manager on the island. By 1901 there were 600 subscribers, and the telephone system had been extended to Ramsey, Castletown, Peel, Port Erin, Port St.
Mary and Onchan. On 1 January 1912 the National Telephone Company was nationalised and merged into the General Post Office by the Telephone Transfer Act 1911.
Mary and Onchan. On 1 January 1912 the National Telephone Company was nationalised and merged into the General Post Office by the Telephone Transfer Act 1911.
Only Guernsey, Portsmouth and Hull remained outside of the GPO. In 1922, the General Post Office offered to sell the island's telephone service to the Manx government, but the offer was not taken up.
A similar arrangement in Jersey for that island's telephone service was concluded in 1923. The first off-island telephone link was established in 1929, with the laying of a cable by the CS Faraday between Port Erin and Ballyhornan in Northern Ireland, a distance of 57 km, and then between Port Grenaugh and Blackpool, primarily to provide a link to Northern Ireland.
A similar arrangement in Jersey for that island's telephone service was concluded in 1923. The first off-island telephone link was established in 1929, with the laying of a cable by the CS Faraday between Port Erin and Ballyhornan in Northern Ireland, a distance of 57 km, and then between Port Grenaugh and Blackpool, primarily to provide a link to Northern Ireland.
The cable was completed on 6 June 1929 and the first call between the Isle of Man and the outside world was made on 28 June 1929 by Lieutenant Governor Sir Claude Hill in Douglas to the Postmaster General in Liverpool.
The cable initially carried only two trunk circuits. In 1942, a pioneering VHF frequency-modulated radio-link was established between Creg-na-Baa and the UK to provide an alternative to the sub-sea cable.
This has since been discontinued. This was augmented on 24 June 1943 by a long cable between Cemaes Bay in Anglesey and Port Erin, which had the world's first submerged repeater, laid by HMCS Iris.
Mary. Throughout the First World War, the cable landing station at Port Cornaa was guarded by the Isle of Man Volunteer Corps. The undersea telegraph cables have been disused since the 1950s, but remain in place. ===Teleport=== A Teleport, with several earth stations, is currently under construction on the Isle of Man.
The UK's television licence regime extends to the island. There is no island-specific opt-out of the BBC regional news programme North West Tonight, in the way that the Channel Islands get their own version of Spotlight. Television was first received on the Isle of Man from the Holme Moss transmitter which started broadcasting BBC Television (later BBC One) from 12 October 1951.
Signals from Holme Moss were easily received on the Isle of Man. ITV television has been available on parts of the east of the Isle of Man on 3 May 1956 when Granada Television (and ABC Television from 5 May 1956 to 28 July 1968) transmissions started from the Winter Hill transmitting station, and to parts of the west of the island on 31 October 1959 from the Black Mountain transmitting station in Northern Ireland which broadcasts Ulster Television.
Signals from Holme Moss were easily received on the Isle of Man. ITV television has been available on parts of the east of the Isle of Man on 3 May 1956 when Granada Television (and ABC Television from 5 May 1956 to 28 July 1968) transmissions started from the Winter Hill transmitting station, and to parts of the west of the island on 31 October 1959 from the Black Mountain transmitting station in Northern Ireland which broadcasts Ulster Television.
Parts of the north of the island received Border Television since 1 September 1961, initially directly from the Caldbeck transmitting station in Cumberland (later became Cumbria from 1974).
On 26 March 1965, Border Television commenced relay of their signal through a local transmitter on Richmond Hill, above sea level and from the centre of Douglas.
Signals from Holme Moss were easily received on the Isle of Man. ITV television has been available on parts of the east of the Isle of Man on 3 May 1956 when Granada Television (and ABC Television from 5 May 1956 to 28 July 1968) transmissions started from the Winter Hill transmitting station, and to parts of the west of the island on 31 October 1959 from the Black Mountain transmitting station in Northern Ireland which broadcasts Ulster Television.
Parts of the north of the island received Border Television since 1 September 1961, initially directly from the Caldbeck transmitting station in Cumberland (later became Cumbria from 1974).
As part of this process, in 1986 British Telecom created a Manx-registered subsidiary company, Manx Telecom, to bid for the tender.
Manx Telecom won the tender, and commenced operations under the new identity from 1 January 1987. On 28 March 1988 an 8,000 telephone circuit fibre optic cable, the longest unregenerated system in Europe, was inaugurated.
In links Port Grenaugh to Silecroft in Cumbria, and was laid in September 1987.
Manx Telecom won the tender, and commenced operations under the new identity from 1 January 1987. On 28 March 1988 an 8,000 telephone circuit fibre optic cable, the longest unregenerated system in Europe, was inaugurated.
Richmond Hill was decommissioned after the close of 405-line broadcasts, although the 200 ft tower remained in use for radio with Manx Radio transmitting on 96.9 MHz and then 97.3 MHz until 1989.
The cable was buried in the seabed along its entire length. A further fibre optic cable, known as BT-MT1 was laid in October 1990 between Millom in Cumbria and Douglas, a distance of .
This cable remains in use today. In July 1992, Mercury Communications laid the LANIS fibre-optic cables.
Following a realignment of ITV regional services and the digital switchover, the Douglas relay switched ITV broadcasts to Granada Television on Thursday 17 July 2009. The Broadcasting Act 1993 (An Act of Tynwald) allows for the establishment of local television services.
The Isle of Man adopted postcodes in 1993 using the prefix IM to fit in with the already established UK postcode system. ==See also== Communications Commission Isle of Man Post ==References== ==External links== Communications Commission Communications summary
In November 2005, the company became the first in Europe to offer its customers an HSDPA (3.5G) service. Sure built their own mobile network on the island in 2007 and following various upgrades now deliver 2G/3G and 4G services ===Internet=== In 1996 the Isle of Man government obtained permission to use the .im national top level domain (TLD) and has ultimate responsibility for its use.
That application was rejected. According to the CIA World Factbook, in 1999 there were 27,490 televisions in use in the Isle of Man. ====Transmitters==== Kimmeragh (Bride) Beary Peark (St Johns) Glen Maye Foxdale Port St.
The LANIS-1 cable was damaged 600 m off Port Grenaugh on 27 November 2006, causing loss of the link and resulting in temporary Internet access issues for some Manx customers whilst it was awaiting repair. On 17 November 2001 Manx Telecom became part of mmO2 following the demerger of BT Wireless's operations from BT Group, and the company was owned by Telefónica.
In December 2001, the company became the first telecommunications operator in Europe to launch a live 3G network.
In November 2005, the company became the first in Europe to offer its customers an HSDPA (3.5G) service. Sure built their own mobile network on the island in 2007 and following various upgrades now deliver 2G/3G and 4G services ===Internet=== In 1996 the Isle of Man government obtained permission to use the .im national top level domain (TLD) and has ultimate responsibility for its use.
The LANIS-1 cable was damaged 600 m off Port Grenaugh on 27 November 2006, causing loss of the link and resulting in temporary Internet access issues for some Manx customers whilst it was awaiting repair. On 17 November 2001 Manx Telecom became part of mmO2 following the demerger of BT Wireless's operations from BT Group, and the company was owned by Telefónica.
On 4 June 2010 Manx Telecom was sold by Telefónica to UK private equity investor HgCapital (who were buying the majority stake), alongside telecoms management company CPS Partners In December 2007, the Manx Electricity Authority and its telecoms subsidiary, e-llan Communications, commissioned the lighting of a new undersea fibre-optic link.
It was founded in 2007 by Stuart Baggs and provides communications services to both businesses and consumers on the Isle of Man. It is also rumoured that various online gaming companies operate their own networks outside of these providers, although they do not resell that service. ===Mobile telephones=== The mobile phone network operated by Manx Telecom has been used by O2 as an environment for developing and testing new products and services prior to wider rollout.
In November 2005, the company became the first in Europe to offer its customers an HSDPA (3.5G) service. Sure built their own mobile network on the island in 2007 and following various upgrades now deliver 2G/3G and 4G services ===Internet=== In 1996 the Isle of Man government obtained permission to use the .im national top level domain (TLD) and has ultimate responsibility for its use.
In some areas, terrestrial television directly from the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland can also be received. Analogue television transmission ceased between 2008 and 2009, when limited local transmission of digital terrestrial television commenced.
In some areas, terrestrial television directly from the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland can also be received. Analogue television transmission ceased between 2008 and 2009, when limited local transmission of digital terrestrial television commenced.
Following a realignment of ITV regional services and the digital switchover, the Douglas relay switched ITV broadcasts to Granada Television on Thursday 17 July 2009. The Broadcasting Act 1993 (An Act of Tynwald) allows for the establishment of local television services.
On 4 June 2010 Manx Telecom was sold by Telefónica to UK private equity investor HgCapital (who were buying the majority stake), alongside telecoms management company CPS Partners In December 2007, the Manx Electricity Authority and its telecoms subsidiary, e-llan Communications, commissioned the lighting of a new undersea fibre-optic link.
In 2014 Wi-Manx were granted a Full Telecoms Operator license. Opti-Fi Limited A fast-growing ISP, delivering super-fast fibre, wireless technology, IoT, and networking services throughout the Isle of Man.
The teleport is expected to enter into service in 2017.
BlueWave Communications is a communications service provider located in Douglas on the Isle of Man who were granted their Full Telecoms Operator licence in 2018.
In 2020 Opti-Fi gained its ISP licence. Mantis A provider of Satellite broadband services, and IT support on the Isle of Man. Manx Technology Group An IT support, Managed IT solutions, infrastructure management, device-as-a-service, 24×7 help-desk, reporting and IT security solutions company. Domicilium Born out of Advanced Systems (One of the original service providers in Europe) Domicilium is primarily a business ISP providing network and hosting services.
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