SAEDNEWS: Fifty years ago on this day, the first commercial video call was made using the Picturephone Mod II between Peter Flaherty, mayor of Pittsburgh, and John Harper, CEO of Alcoa.
According to Saed News’ Science and Technology Service, video calling is one of the most practical forms of communication, and its importance became particularly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video calls have made it easier to stay connected with friends and family, filling much of the gap left by in-person meetings. Applications like WhatsApp and Skype are installed on millions of devices, making video chatting simpler than ever. In the past, however, video calling was far from easy, and technology had to traverse a long path to reach modern platforms like Skype and Zoom.
Fifty years ago, on this day, the first commercial video call was made between Peter Flaherty, mayor of Pittsburgh, and John Harper, CEO of Alcoa, using the Picturephone Mod II. This device was introduced by AT&T in 1970 and was the first video phone available for use in homes and offices.
The story of the first video call actually dates back to before the 1970s, with the idea emerging roughly a century earlier, alongside the rise of the telephone and cinema. However, slow technological progress prevented the dream from becoming reality until the latter half of the 20th century. Early closed-circuit systems consisted of a camera and a television, connected by wires to a similar system at a remote location, enabling basic video communication.
In the 1930s, AT&T began developing a system that allowed video streaming over telephone networks, eliminating the need for dedicated wiring. The company showcased a prototype of its video phone at the 1939 World’s Fair. In 1964, AT&T launched the Picturephone Mod I and installed booths in New York, Washington, and Chicago.
Like other closed-circuit systems of the time, Mod I required callers and recipients to schedule a specific time for their calls. Calls were extremely expensive—a three-minute call would cost about $133 in today’s terms. The public did not embrace the technology, and the booths were soon closed.
With the miniaturization of cameras and advances in signal compression, telephone switching boards, and circuits, AT&T developed the Picturephone Mod II for home and office use. This model featured a 5.5 by 5-inch black-and-white display with very low resolution and a 0.8-megapixel camera. Beneath the camera was a small mirror that allowed users to show documents or objects on their desk, essentially an early form of screen-sharing. Monthly service cost $160—roughly $1,092 in today’s terms—allowing for 30-minute video calls, a relatively generous duration at the time.
Despite these improvements, Mod II was not widely adopted. By 1973, only around 450 units were in use, far below AT&T’s projection of 100,000 units by 1975. Between the 1950s and 1970s, AT&T invested roughly half a billion dollars in video phone research and continued efforts into the 1990s. However, high costs, low demand, and users’ reluctance to be seen during calls led to the product’s failure.
Today, billions of people can connect with someone on the opposite side of the planet within seconds using smartphones or tablets. While the Picturephone Mod II never became AT&T’s revolutionary product, it was a significant milestone in the development of video calling technology.
