Consumer telephone II: France goes digital: Low noise, switching versatility, and a reduction in A/D and D/A conversions result

As recently as the late 1960s, there were but 4.7 million subscriber lines in France — less than one line for every 10 persons. The telephone network was divided into 730 local systems: 230 in city areas, with 2000 automatic electromechanical switching centers, and 500 in rural areas, with 20 000 manual or semiautomatic switching centers. Today, there are 14 million subscriber lines, 100 percent automated. Digital conversion is advancing steadily; more than 30 percent of the switching lines ordered in 1976 were digital.