ITT System 12

{{Short description|Digital telephone exchange}}

System 1240 (later System 12)Viswanathan, T. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ghCiNHzWvL4C&dq=itt+system+1240&pg=PA225 Telecommunication Switching Systems and Networks], p.225.[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4201891.html US Patent 4,201,891] at freepatentsonline.com was a new Digital Telephone Exchange developed in 1977 by ITT Corporation. It reportedly cost US$1 billion.[http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/International_Telephone__Telegraph_Corp.aspx International Telephone Telegraph Corp] at encyclopedia.com It anticipated the features of ISDN of the 1990s.

File:BTMC_SYSTEM_12_ELC_CHIP_SET.jpg

It was designed at the Advanced Technology Center (Stamford, Connecticut and then Shelton, Connecticut.) Manufacturing was by ITT's subsidiaries such as BTM in Belgium, where the first production system was installed at Brecht in August 1982.

Initial sales, particularly in Europe and Mexico, were strong, but the new system took longer than expected to integrate, with further losses.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-11-05-fi-4452-story.html "ITT Earnings Decline 33% for 3rd Quarter"], Los Angeles Times, 5 November 1985. Against the advice of headquarters, ITT Telecommunications (ITT Kellogg) in Raleigh, North Carolina undertook the conversion to the US market,{{cite book| title=Managing Across Borders | first1=Christopher A. | last1=Bartlett | author-link1= Christopher A. Bartlett | first2= Sumantra| last2=Ghoshal | author-link2 = Sumantra Ghoshal | publisher= Harvard Business School Press | edition = 2 | year = 2002 | isbn= 1-57851-707-9 }} and although sales were announced in 1984[https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/26/business/itt-telecom.html ITT Telecom], The New York Times, 26 June 1984. and 1985,[https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/21/business/itt-makes-sale-to-southern-bell.html "ITT Makes Sale To Southern Bell"], The New York Times, 21 March 1985. the attempt ultimately failed, in early 1986.[http://www.frankoverstreet.com/pages/co/itt-system-12.html ITT System 12] at frankoverstreet.comHinman, Catherine.[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1986/03/14/itt-division-in-brevard-will-furlough-60/ "ITT Division In Brevard Will Furlough 60"], Orlando Sentinel, 14 March 1986.