ABOUT US

Telegrams Canada is the CRTC-licensed provider of telegram service in Canada. We are connected to a worldwide network that beams telegrams electronically across the globe to be delivered as a paper telegram, telex message, fax, or phone call.

History of telegraphy in Canada

Telegrams were the first messages to be sent using electric circuits called telegraphs. The Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara and St. Catharines Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company was formed back in 1846. It was the first telegraph company in Canada. In the following decades, a number of small regional telegraph companies dotted the country, mostly along railway lines.

In 1932, railway service in Canada was nationalized and Canadian National Railways (CNR, later shortened to CN) bought out most railways in Canada, along with the telegraph lines along CNR routes. Along with Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR, later CP), a nationwide telegraph network was established.

The two railway telegraph companies operated by CN and CP merged to form CNCP Telecommunications in 1980. The telegram service changed names and ownership many times over the next two decades, as CNCP lines were increasingly being used to carry long-distance phone calls. In 2003, the telecommunications lines once owned by the railways were sold to Allstream, and the telegram service was re-branded Telegrams Canada.

Today, Telegrams Canada continues the great tradition of telegram service in Canada that began over 175 ago. We offer a wide range of services to customers across the globe.

Services

Telegram

iTelegram, a website developed through our affiliation with Western Union, is a portal for customers to easily order telegrams online.

Interconnection for PTTs worldwide is available for wholesale telegrams according to ITU protocols via telex and IP networks.

Telex

We provide TWX telex data service at up to 28.8 kbit/s for non-internet ASCII message exchange.

Data centre

151 Front Street West in Toronto was the main switching facility for telegrams when it was built by CNR in 1954. Today, we provide data storage, colocation, and dedicated server space at this location with connectivity to over 150 telecommunications companies.