We're already talking on our mobile phones!

It seems incredible, but as early as 1952 it was possible to talk from a mobile phone in the car. This year we announced that we were testing urban mobile radio equipment and that it would soon enter service in Madrid and Barcelona, a development that "will allow our subscribers to talk to cars on the move within the urban area of the city".

We surpass 100,000 installed phones and other progress

Although the difficulties for the world economic balance persist, during the previous year, and especially in 1952, Telefónica receives from the Standard Eléctrica factories in Paris, London and Antwerp, almost in their entirety, the elements and materials it had delayed. This allows it to make great progress in construction work and facility extensions during the year. Thus, in the course of 1952, we exceed 100,000 telephones installed (100,263). In addition, we share some figures that highlight this year's progress: • We open the service in 94 locations • Orense and Elche inaugurate automatic service • In existing automatic exchanges, we increase 44,700 lines distributed among: Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Zaragoza, Santander, Pamplona, Jaén, Albacete, Alcoy, Badajoz, Cáceres and Huelva • We build 977 kilometres of pole line and 2,360 kilometres of circuits on various routes.

The "Institución Telefónica de Previsión"

Telefónica's almost 17,000 employees at that time, including those on sick leave or on leave of absence, were part of the so-called Institución Telefónica de Previsión, the mutual insurance company to which they paid contributions until 1992, when the workforce switched to the general Social Security scheme. In 1952, the balance in favour in the Institution's accounts was almost 136 million pesetas (just over 800,000 euros). In that year alone, the company contributed more than 18 million pesetas (more than 100,000 euros) to the Institution.