Post Office 'Jeonbo', Disappears from History in Germany after 170 Years

Germany to Block Public Telephone Services Starting January Next Year

The streets of Berlin, Germany
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Junran] The telegram, once the fastest means of communication worldwide since its inception in 1852, is disappearing into history in Germany after 170 years.

The German Post announced that it will discontinue telegram services starting January 1st next year. The Post explained that the reason for the discontinuation is that almost no one sends telegrams anymore.

Those who wish to send a final telegram can use the service via phone or internet until 3 a.m. on the 31st of this year. The telegrams will be delivered on the same day.

A spokesperson for the German Post said, "Except for companies or government offices sending anniversary greetings or invitations, there are no longer any meaningful volumes of telegrams being sent," adding, "Even those have decreased recently because sending telegrams has become relatively expensive."

The telegram service provided by the German Post has cost around 12.57 euros (approximately 16,900 KRW) for 160 characters and 17.89 euros (approximately 24,000 KRW) for 480 characters. This is considered expensive compared to other services.

Accordingly, customers have switched to digital communication methods or send individual letters, according to the Post. The German Post was also one of the last postal services in the world to offer telegram services.

Since its establishment by American E.P. Smith in 1852, the telegram had become the fastest means of communication worldwide for delivering important news. When called by phone to the local post office, the message was transmitted via telex to the recipient’s nearby post office and delivered by a courier.

Additionally, public telephones are expected to disappear in Germany starting January next year. Deutsche Telekom announced that it will shut down all remaining 12,000 public telephones by the end of January next year.

First installed in 1881 in the capital Berlin, the number of public telephones once reached 160,000, but after the spread of mobile phones, no one used them, explained Telekom. Of the remaining public telephones, one-third failed to generate even 1 euro (approximately 1,345 KRW) in sales last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.