IP Convergence: Beyond VoIP, Beyond Cost Savings

Adding to Adam's recent blog on  Rochester's contribution to  communications.

Hiram Sibley is another famous Rochesterian  who worked closely with Samuel F.B. Morse ( the inventor of the Telegraph) and co-founded Western Union along with Ezra Cornell ( co-founder of Cornell University).

In 1876 Western Union was the leading communications company at the time, and when an unknown inventor by the name of Alexander Graham Bell tried to sell the patent outright to Western Union for $100,000.

The president of Western Union balked, countering that the telephone was nothing but a toy.

Two years later, the president of Western Union told his colleagues that if he could get the patent for $25 million he would consider it a bargain. By then the Bell no longer wanted to sell the patent.

By the 3rd year,   the Bell company acquired Edison's patents for the carbon microphone from Western Union.

In this industry one needs to keep an open mind to innovation!