Telefunken
| File:Telefunken.svg Emblem in use since 1919 | |
| Industry | Electrical industry |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1903 |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age merged with parent firm AEG to form AEG-Telefunken (1996 merger with Daimler-Benz followed by divestitures and dissolution of various divisions), last former Telefunken branch renamed in 2005 |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| Parent | Gordon Brothers |
| Website | telefunken |
Telefunken originated as a German enterprise specializing in radio and television manufacturing, established in Berlin in 1903 through a partnership between Siemens & Halske and the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) ("General Electricity Company"). Before the outbreak of World War I, it pioneered the creation of the first global communications network and was also the inaugural company worldwide to market electronic televisions equipped with cathode-ray tube technology, launching these in Germany in 1934.
Brand names
Throughout its history, the company operated under multiple names:
- Gesellschaft für drahtlose Telegraphie m.b.H., System Telefunken, founded in 1903 as a joint venture between AEG and Siemens & Halske
- Telefunken, Gesellschaft für drahtlose Telegraphie m.b.H., established in 1923; from 1941 onward functioning as an AEG subsidiary exclusively
- Telefunken GmbH, formed in 1955
- Telefunken Aktiengesellschaft (AG), created in 1963
- Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft AEG-Telefunken, resulting from the 1967 merger of Telefunken with AEG
- AEG-TELEFUNKEN AG, named in 1979
Additionally, Telefunken developed several subsidiaries and corporate spin-offs:
- TELEFUNKEN Fernseh und Rundfunk GmbH, founded in 1972 in Hanover as an AEG-TELEFUNKEN subsidiary
- Telefunken electronic GmbH, a spin-off originating from AEG-Telefunken and DASA
- TEMIC TELEFUNKEN microelectronic GmbH, established since 1992
- Telefunken Semiconductors GmbH & Co. KG, created in Heilbronn in 2009
- Telefunken Lighting technologies S.L., active since 2009
The entity Telefunken USA was incorporated at the beginning of 2001 with the purpose of offering restoration services and manufacturing reproductions of classic Telefunken microphones.
In 2023, ownership of the Telefunken brand transferred to Gordon Brothers, an advisory and investment organization.
History
At the dawn of the twentieth century, two German research teams pursued advancements in wireless communication technology. One group, based at AEG and led by Adolf Slaby and Georg Graf von Arco, developed systems for the Kaiserliche Marine. Meanwhile, a second team under Karl Ferdinand Braun at Siemens focused on solutions for the German Army. Their principal rival was the British Marconi Company.
Following a patent dispute between these firms, Kaiser Wilhelm II encouraged collaboration, resulting in the formation of Gesellschaft für drahtlose Telegraphie System Telefunken ("The Company for Wireless Telegraphy Ltd.") on 27 May 1903. This joint venture consolidated contested patents and technologies. On 17 April 1923, the company adopted the name Telefunken, The Company for Wireless Telegraphy. The name "Telefunken" served as its telegraphic identifier. Count Georg von Arco was appointed as Telefunken’s inaugural technical director.
Telefunken swiftly established itself as a significant entity in both civilian and military radio and electronics sectors. Before World War I, it established the first global communications network and supplied military radio sets and telegraph equipment during the conflict. Additionally, it developed one of the earliest radio navigation systems for the Zeppelin fleet. The Telefunken Kompass Sender, operational from 1908 to 1918, enabled Zeppelin airships to navigate across the North Sea under all weather conditions.
In 1911, Telefunken constructed a wireless station at West Sayville, situated just north of the Long Island Rail Road. Featuring a retractable 500-foot tower mounted on a ball-and-socket joint atop a concrete base, the station was completed in 1912. It allowed wireless transmissions to a corresponding tower located in Nauen, approximately 3,500 miles away. Between August 1, 1914, and April 6, 1917, the United States monitored communications transmitted via this Telefunken station while the United States Marine Corps guarded it. Following America’s entry into World War I, security measures included electrifying perimeter fencing and installing floodlights. Post-war ownership transferred to Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company and later to the Federal Aviation Administration. The station was ultimately dismantled in 1938.
Beginning in 1923, Telefunken expanded into manufacturing broadcast transmitters and radio receivers. A milestone was reached in 1928 with the creation of the V-41 amplifier for the German Radio Network—the first-ever two-stage "Hi-Fi" amplifier. Refinements continued over subsequent decades; by 1950, Telefunken introduced the V-72 amplifier. Produced by TAB (a subcontractor), this model gained widespread adoption among radio stations and recording studios alike. Notably, the V-72S amplifier was exclusively used in the REDD.37 mixing console employed by the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios during many early recordings.
Record players were incorporated into Telefunken’s product range starting in 1932.
In 1941, Siemens transferred its shares of Telefunken to AEG through an arrangement known as the "Telefunken settlement," making AEG the sole proprietor. Subsequently, Telefunken operated as a subsidiary—rebranded as "Telefunken GmbH" from 1955 and later as "Telefunken AG" starting in 1963.
Throughout World War II, Telefunken supplied vacuum tubes, transmitters, and radio relay systems while developing Funkmess facilities—later identified by the US Navy as radar technology—and directional finders to support German air defense against bombing raids. During this period, manufacturing operations were relocated or expanded westward within Germany. Under AEG’s ownership, Telefunken became a smaller subsidiary with divisions focusing on data processing technology components alongside broadcast, television, and phonograph equipment production. The company also pioneered FM radio broadcasting technology. Through its subsidiary Teldec—a joint venture with Decca Records—Telefunken was one of Germany’s leading record companies for many years until Teldec’s sale to WEA in 1988.
In 1959, Telefunken inaugurated a state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing plant in Heilbronn, commencing production in April 1960. The facility underwent several expansions; by 1970 a new six-story building was added at its northern boundary. Around this time, approximately 2,500 employees worked at this site.
The year 1967 saw Telefunken merge with AEG, which then adopted the name AEG-Telefunken. Earlier in that decade, engineer Walter Bruch developed the PAL-colour television system for Telefunken—a standard widely implemented across most countries of the western Hemisphere, excluding the United States, Canada, Mexico, and parts of western South America. PAL variants are established in countries such as the UK (PAL-I), Brazil (PAL-M), Argentina (PAL-N), South Africa, India, and Australia.
Telefunken also contributed to computing technology with models like the TR 4 mainframe developed at their Backnang facility,[1] and later models such as the Telefunken TR 440 developed at Konstanz—including pioneering input devices like the first ball-based mouse known as the Rollkugel introduced in 1968.[2] These computers were utilized extensively across German university computing centers from the early 1970s until about 1985. In 1974, large computer development and manufacturing were spun off into Konstanz Computer Company (CGK), while mini- and process computer production was integrated into AEG’s automatic control engineering division. When Daimler acquired AEG in 1985, "Telefunken" was dropped from corporate branding.
In 1995, Tech Sym Corporation—owners of Continental Electronics Corporation based in Dallas—acquired Telefunken for $9 million; nevertheless, Telefunken maintained its status as a German entity.[3]
During the late 1970s and early ’80s, Telefunken played a key role in developing advanced audio noise reduction technologies including telcom c4 (introduced in 1975), High Com (launched in 1978), along with subsequent versions High Com II, High Com III, High Com FM, and CX noise reduction (1982).
In 2005, Telefunken Sender Systeme Berlin rebranded itself as Transradio SenderSysteme Berlin AG. The Transradio name dates back to its founding as a Telefunken subsidiary in 1918. In 1919 Transradio pioneered duplex transmission technology and has since specialized in research and development of contemporary AM broadcasting alongside VHF/FM and Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) systems.
In August of 2006, Turkish firm Profilo Telra, one of Europe’s leading TV manufacturers, acquired Transradio SenderSysteme Berlin AG under license from Telefunken Licenses GmbH. This arrangement allowed continued production of televisions under the Telefunken brand name.
Business sectors
From 1903 until 1996, the original Telefunken enterprise manufactured a wide array of devices and systems. A unifying theme throughout its offerings was expertise in high-frequency and communication technologies, alongside the necessary construction and infrastructure components. The product range included:
- Lighting solutions focused on energy efficiency
- Analog computing machines
- Systems for voucher verification, pattern analysis, and mail sorting
- Networks for data communications
- Digital computers designed for exchange technology, air traffic management, scientific research, and military use
- Electrical components
- Electro-acoustic equipment and professional studio apparatus
- Flight navigation systems
- Weapon guidance and deployment technologies
- Military radio and data communication tools
- Radios intended for official and operational communication
- Semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, photovoltaic cells, and infrared modules
- Mobile radio communication technology
- Direction finding and detection instruments
- Phonographs, tape recorders, and videodisc players
- Electric power tools
- Radar systems for monitoring land, air, and maritime environments
- Consumer radio and television receivers
- Vacuum tube technology
- Radio relay links and satellite communication equipment
- Music records
- Transmission and reception tubes including traveling wave tubes and color image tubes
- Broadcast and television transmitters, including DAB transmitters
- Speech recognition systems
- Telephone technology, long-distance communication, and cable infrastructure
Facilities and production sites
In the early 1930s, manufacturing took place within the workshops of the two parent companies under a distributor arrangement. The company's headquarters were situated at Hallesches Ufer 30 in Berlin Kreuzberg from 1918 to 1937.
Telefunken produced the first commercially available electronic television sets equipped with cathode-ray tubes in Berlin during 1932.
From 1938 onwards, development and manufacturing operations were centralized at a new headquarters located in Berlin Zehlendorf on Goerzallee, remaining there until 1945.
During World War II, additional production facilities were established throughout the Berlin region as well as in Thuringia, Saxony, Moravia, Silesia, and on the island of Rügen. Further plants operated in Baltic cities such as Tallinn and Riga, along with occupied Polish territories including Kraków and Łódź. Notably, the vacuum tube factory in Łódź was relocated along with its workforce to Ulm (Fortress Wilhelmsburg) in August 1944.
Following the war, new development and manufacturing centers were founded. The company’s headquarters shifted locations several times within Berlin: initially Berlin-Schöneberg (1945–1948), then Berlin-Kreuzberg (1948–1952), followed by Berlin-Moabit (1952–1960), and finally Berlin-Charlottenburg (1960–1967).
Production sites included:
- Backnang: Facilities specializing in long-distance communication systems and cable technology (currently Tesat-Spacecom)
- Berlin-Moabit, Sickingenstrasse 20–26: Manufacture of broadcast and television transmitters as well as mobile communications equipment (since 2005 operated by Transradio SenderSysteme Berlin AG)
- Berlin-Moabit, Sickingenstrasse 71: Tube production site (as of 2005 repurposed as JobCenter Berlin Mitte)
- Berlin-Wedding (now Gesundbrunnen), Schwedenstrasse: Production of broadcast receivers, phonographs, tape decks, videocassette recorders, and videodisc players
- Celle: Manufacturing of color television sets from 1966 to 1997; facilities demolished between 2001 and 2002
- Eiweiler (Nohfelden): High-frequency engineering operations
- Hanover, Göttinger Chaussee 76: Broadcast and television set production along with acoustic engineering until 1973
- Heilbronn: Production of semiconductors, integrated circuits, solar cells, and infrared modules (operated by Atmel from 1998 to 2008; thereafter by Telefunken Semiconductors GmbH & Co. KG under Tejas Silicon Holdings until insolvency in April 2013)
- Konstanz: Development of computer technology, letter sorting machinery, character recognition systems, air traffic control equipment, studio tape decks, and cash dispensing machines
- Offenburg: Long-distance communication technologies manufacturing site
- Osterode am Harz (former Kuba-Imperial plant): Videocassette recorder production
- Ulm (Danube valley): Television picture tube manufacturing facility
- Ulm, Elisabethenstrasse: Research center focusing on radar systems, radiolocation equipment, detection devices, speech processing technologies, radio data transmission systems; became part of EADS Racoms in 2000 (later Cassidian under EADS Defence & Security; currently Airbus Defence and Space or Elbit Systems)
- Ulm, Söflinger Strasse: Tube manufacturing site
- Wolfenbüttel: Electroacoustic engineering operations commencing in 1973
See also
- Transistron (Duodiode) – the parallel discovery of the bipolar transistor by Herbert F. Mataré and Heinrich Welker during 1948/1949
Notes
References
- M. Friedewald: Telefunken und der deutsche Schiffsfunk 1903–1914. Published in: Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte 46, Issue 1, 2001, pages 27–57
- M. Fuchs: Georg von Arco (1869–1940) – Engineer, Pacifist, Technical Director at Telefunken. A Biography of an Inventor. Verlag für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften und der Technik, Berlin & München: Diepholz 2003
- L. U. Scholl: Marconi versus Telefunken: Wireless Telegraphy and Its Impact on Shipping. In: G. Bayerl, W. Weber (eds.): Sozialgeschichte der Technik. Ulrich Troitzsche zum 60. Geburtstag. Waxmann, Münster 1997 (Cottbuser Studien zur Geschichte von Technik, Arbeit und Umwelt, volume 7)
- Telefunken Sendertechnik GmbH: 90 Jahre Telefunken. Berlin 1993
- Erdmann Thiele (editor): Telefunken after 100 Years – The Legacy of a German Global Brand. Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-87584-961-2
External links
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- Official Telefunken website
- Telefunken
- Telefunken Elektroakustik, formerly known as Telefunken USA
- Transradio SenderSysteme Berlin AG
- Telefunken ID Systems
- Discography of Telefunken records
- Toni Fishman Interview in the NAMM Oral History Collection (2021)
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- AEG
- Avionics companies
- Clock brands
- Defunct mobile phone manufacturers
- Electronics companies of Germany
- German brands
- German record labels
- Manufacturing companies based in Berlin
- Manufacturing companies established in 1903
- Mobile phone manufacturers
- Radio manufacturers
- Microphone manufacturers
- Companies of Prussia