Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia)
OTC
1946 – 1989
Renamed OTC Limited in 1989.
Statutory commission that owned and operated Australia's international telecommunications services, including submarine cables, radio and later satellite links, and the coastal radio service to shipping.
Names over time
- Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia)1946–1989
- OTC Limited1989–1992
How it came into existence
Established under the Overseas Telecommunications Act 1946, following the 1945 Commonwealth Telecommunications Conference's recommendation of national ownership of overseas services. In 1947 it took over the overseas wireless services and coastal radio stations of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) and the Australian cable operations of Cable & Wireless.
Legislation: Overseas Telecommunications Act 1946
Changes during its life
- Overseas beam wireless services
- Coastal radio stations
How it ended
Converted in 1989 into OTC Limited, a company wholly owned by the Commonwealth, as part of that year's telecommunications reforms.
The commission was converted into a Commonwealth-owned company.
Main functions
- International telephone and telegraph services
- Submarine cable systems and satellite earth stations
- Coastal and maritime radio services
- Australian participation in international satellite organisations
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Department of Transport and Communications.
Lineage
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Sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.