- Early telephones required individual physical lines connected to a central exchange, resulting in unsightly towers carrying thousands of overhead lines.
- The Telefontornet in Stockholm, built around 1890, connected about 5,000 lines and was vulnerable to weather hazards like winds, ice storms, and fires.
- By 1913, the Telefontornet was decommissioned due to rapid technological advancements, and it was later destroyed by fire in 1953 and torn down.
- Telephone service was initially expensive, with subscriptions costing the equivalent of 9,000 to 16,000 Krona today, making it accessible only to the wealthy.
- As people began burying telephone lines, the tower became obsolete, was used as an advertising billboard, and was finally demolished in 1958.