The Origins of Cable and Wireless Limited, 1918–1939: Capitalism, Imperialism, and Technical Change
Robert W. D. Boyce · The MIT Press eBooks · 2009
This chapter, which gives an overview of the history of Cable and Wireless Limited, and the company’s effect on the industry, begins with the Imperial Wireless and Cable Conference in 1928 to engage a solution to the communications crisis that threatened the British Empire. This conference resulted in the reorganization of imperial communications, with nearly all involved companies merging into a single firm that would be Cable and Wireless Limited. The chapter provides the extensive background that preceded the merger, and how the creation of Cable and Wireless shows the challenges for Britain in maintaining balance between national security, the empire, and business during a time of fast-developing technology. The firm brought the industry away from globalization and created tension in Anglo-American relations. This reaction brings to light a paradox in the Cable and Wireless project: It was a response to growing fear and anxiety over American economic imperialism, but failed to unite the empire in the long run.