Communication is a fundamental human need. Over thousands of years, humans have developed increasingly sophisticated ways to exchange information across distances. Here is the journey of communication technology.

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1. Carrier Pigeons (Merpati Pos)

Pigeons were used to deliver letters or messages because of their intelligence, strong memory, navigation skills, and natural instinct to return to their nests. This method originated with the Persians, who trained these birds.

• 1416: Sultan Nuruddin of Baghdad used pigeons to send messages around his kingdom.
• The Romans used carrier pigeons to send messages to their military forces.
• The Greeks announced Olympic winners via pigeons.
• During World War I (1914-1918), American forces relied heavily on carrier pigeons for critical communication.

2. The Telegraph

The telegraph was an early device for sending and receiving messages over long distances using electrical signals.

• 1837: Invented by Samuel F.B. Morse and his assistant Alexander Bain.
• 1838: The first message was sent on January 6th.
• Messages were sent using Morse Code (combinations of dots and dashes) and were often called “wire” or “cable” messages.
• It was vital during wars to keep secret messages secure.
• In Indonesia: The first telegraph line opened on October 23, 1855, by the Dutch East Indies government, eventually connecting Jakarta to Singapore and Java to Australia.

3. The Telephone

The demand for even faster and more direct communication led to the invention of the telephone.

• 1876: Invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
• In Indonesia: The first local telephone service began on October 16, 1882, in Jakarta (Gambir to Tanjung Priok).
• 1976: The launch of the Palapa A-1 satellite allowed Indonesia’s telephone network to expand significantly, even reaching international locations.

4. Telegrams

Popularized in the 1920s, telegrams were messages transmitted by telegraph but delivered as printed text.

• Telegrams were cheaper than telephone calls but were charged based on the number of characters.
• They were much faster than traditional letters, usually arriving in less than a day.
• In Indonesia, Telkom popularized two types: standard (blue) and “Indah” (beautiful) telegrams used for special occasions like holidays or the New Year.

5. Pagers

Pagers, or “radio beepers,” were portable devices used to receive short messages.

• 1956: Invented by Multitone Electronic for doctors at St. Thomas Hospital in London for emergency alerts.
• Before mobile phones became common, pagers were the primary way to stay reachable on the go.
• In Indonesia, pagers peaked around 1997 with over 800,000 users before being replaced by mobile phones.

6. Electronic Mail (E-mail)

E-mail allows users to send letters over computer networks like the internet.

• 1960s: Early versions existed within mainframe networks before the modern internet was formed.
• 1980s: E-mail became available for public use, revolutionizing how we send written information.

7. The Internet

The internet (interconnected-networking) is a global system of interconnected computer networks.

• 1969: Started as ARPANET, built by the U.S. Department of Defense’s ARPA.
• 1983: ARPANET switched to the TCP/IP protocol, markng the birth of the internet we know today.
• In Indonesia: The internet journey began in the early 1990s. In 1994, IndoNet became the first commercial ISP in the country.

8. Mobile Phones (Telepon Genggam)

Mobile phone development is closely tied to radio technology.

• 1921: Detroit police used one-way mobile radios.
• 1940: Motorola developed the SCR536 walkie-talkie for WWII.
• 1973: Martin Cooper of Motorola invented the first true handheld mobile phone (1G).
• 1990s: 2G emerged with GSM/CDMA technology, adding SMS (texting) and voicemail.
• Today: We have reached 4G and 5G generations, where smartphones function like portable computers with high-speed internet.

9. Social Media

Social media refers to online platforms where users can easily participate, share, and create content.

Social media (blogs, social networks, wikis, forums) enables social interaction and turns communication into an interactive, global dialogue. It has become the primary way people connect and share information in the modern world.