Homepage
Crypto
Spy sets
Burst encoders
Intercept
Covert
Radio
PC
Telex
Agencies
Manufacturers
Donate
Kits
Shop
News
Events
Wanted
Contact
Links
Logo (click for homepage)
TeKaDe
TeKaDe was a German manufacturer of telecommunication equipment. The company started with the manufacturer of telephones and was the first to install a fully operated mobile telephone network in Germany in the early 1960s. Under Philips (PKI) the company continued to produce radio and telegraphy equipment such as telex-machines and point-to-point radio links. After several take-overs and mergers, the company is now part of Alcatel Lucent.
 
TeKaDe equipment on this website
TeKaDe FS-200Z military electronic teleprinter (telex) FS-220

History
The company started life in 1906 as Felten & Guilleaume after buying the liquidated remains of Friedrich Heller's telephone enterprise (1858-1904). In 1912 the name is changed to TeKaDe, which is fonetic for TKD (Süddeutsche Telefonapparate-, Kabel- und Drahtwerke AG). The company specializes in wireless multi-channel point-to-point radio links for telephone networks.
 
The image on the right was taken around 1905 and shows the factory at the Allersberger Straße in Nurnberg (Germany). At that time, the company was still called Felten & Guilleaume. The factory would later carry the name TeKaDe and from 1982 onwards the Philips brand name.

When public radio is introduced in 1923, TeKaDe starts the production of valves and even complete radio sets. Around 1930 the company produces approx. 100,000 valves each month. From 1934 onwards, TeKaDe produces Volks-empfänger (People's Radios) for the Third Reich.
  
TeKaDe factory at Allersberger strasse in Nurnber around 1905. Photographs retrieved in 2012 [2].

In 1949, just after WWII, TeKaDe starts its first joint venture with Philips under the name Felten & Guilleaume Fernmeldeanlagen GmbH (FGF). The company specializes in multi-carrier equipment for telephone networks from its newly established production facilities at Thurn und Taxis Straße 10 in Nurnberg (Germany).
 
Mobile phones
From 1961 onwards, TeKaDe is one of the most important manufacturers and suppliers of equipment for the first mobile radio network in Germany: A-Netz. TeKaDe supplies the mobile stations (Fahrzeuganlage B72) and also the network infrastructure. A-Netz soon became popular aboard trains and ships.

Philips
In 1982, TeKaDe is incorporated into PKI (Philips Kommunikations Industrie AG, Philips Communication Industry). PKI is the German sister of PTI in The Netherlands (Philips Telecommunicatie Industrie) and the new company has R&D centers in Huizen (Netherlands) and Nurnberg (Germany). In Germany, certain equipment is still sold under the TeKaDe brand name. At the height of its success in 1992, just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, PKI sells the latest digital data links to the former DDR. After that, the turnover of the company decreases every year.

AT&T, Lucent, Alcatel
In 1996, certain aspects of PKI (including the TeKaDe activities) are taken over by US giant AT&T. Because of the deregulating of the American market, AT&T has to be split into several individual companies, and in 2001, the network division is separated under the name Lucent Technologies. Under Lucent, the former PKI development center in Huizen/Hilversum (Netherlands) is closed and all R&D activities are concentrated in Nurnberg again, where the migration from GSM to UMTS is performed. In 2006 Lucent is merged with Alcatel and continues as Alcatel-Lucent.
 
References
  1. Wikipedia (Germany), TeKaDe
    Retrieved April 2012.

  2. CSU-OV Lichtenhof, Lichtenhof in der Neuzeit
    Retrieved April 2012.

Further information

Any links shown in red are currently unavailable. If you like this website, why not make a donation?
© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Wednesday, 01 May 2013 - 21:59 CET
Click for homepage