AMBERGATE ELECTRONIC EXCHANG E 

On Thursday 15 December 1966 a unique ceremony took place in the quiet and solitude of the Derbyshire Peak District with the opening of the new electronic telephone exchange at Ambergate. The opening ceremony was carried out before groups of spectators in Fleet Building, London, and Ambergate telephone exchange, which were linked by closed-circuit television. 

The Deputy Chairman of the Post Office, Mr. J . E . Wall, O.B.E., introduced the ceremony from Fleet building, which began with a short film of Ambergate village and the old and new exchanges. The Postmaster General, the Rt. Hon. Edward Short, M.P., spoke of the development of electronic exchanges and the Department's policy for modernizing the telephone system to meet the needs of the 1970s. Mr. Short explained that the Ambergate TX E 2 exchange is the first production electronic unit to be produced in Europe, and it will be followed by about 50 more similar units over the next 18 months. Thereafter, large-scale production will supply rapidly increasing quantities to meet the telephone service expansion and modernization program. 

Mr. G . Forshaw, representing Ericsson Telephones, Ltd. , who installed the equipment, handed over the exchange to the Post Office, represented by Mr. E . G . Hucker, Director, Midland Region. Mr. Hucker, on acceptance, carried out the change-over from the old manual exchange to the new electronic exchange and invited Councillor B . Boam, B.E.M. , J.P., Chairman of Ripley Urban District Council, to make an inaugural call to the Postmaster General. 

The initial provision of equipment is for 750 subscribers, but the building capacity allows for an exchange with a 3,000-line multiple

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