Nortel Networks: How Innovation and Vision Created a Network Giant

Nortel Networks is one of the longest-running technology growth stories. In a volatile industry sector, where growth is often a mercurial flash in the pan, the company has an amazing record of staying power and success. It has been around for over a century and has successfully made the transition from old technology to new technology several times, emerging as a world leader in the telecommunications industry. This work examines the technical innovations and the people that have contributed to Nortel's long success - from Alexander Graham Bell and the origins of Nortel as the manufacturing arm of Bell Telephone, to production of the manually-operated telephone switchboards of the 1890's and today's digital switches.