Early telecommunication and the birth of telegraphy in Malta

Abstract

This paper reviews the birth of telegraphy and its take-up in Malta before the advent of radio. The driving force behind the adoption of a number of signalling methods and the telegraph in Malta was the militia, but a means of effective communication was also important for trade and as a warning system against unwanted intruders. Foreign, diplomatic, and news correspondence became possible after submarine cables linking Malta to mainland Europe were laid in the 1860s.