Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Domaas, Stein / Telenor Kulturarv
Photo: Telemuseet / Telenor Kulturarv

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The sami telephone exchange

The last manual telephone exchange in Norway was closed down as late as in 1993. It was situated in Karasjok and the telephone operators there didn’t just connect calls, they were ...

The last manual telephone exchange in Norway was closed down as late as in 1993. It was situated in Karasjok and the telephone operators there didn’t just connect calls, they were also translators.

1979: While nationwide automatization of telephone lines was happening at full speed, the mayor of Karasjok, Hans Guttorm, decided to put on the brakes. Hang on. What would the Sami people from the interior of Finnmark do now, if the telephone operators weren’t going to be there to help them call the Norwegian doctor, or find their way in the telephone catalogue? The catalogue wasn’t compatible with Sami naming customs, and a large part of the Sami in Karasjok did not speak Norwegian. They had become used to using the ladies at the exchange as translators and guides. Mayor Guttorm led a panel to evaluate the tele services presented to the Sami-speaking population of Finnmark. Telenor (Televerket) took these signals to heart, and kept the exchange as a Sami-speaking service

About the object

about
Karasjok manuelle telefonsentralen ligger i et samisktalende område og hadde to manuelle sentralbord med tolketjeneste for norsk og samisk. Linjene gikk til samiske vinterboplasser. Sentralen var den siste offentlige manuelle sentral som var i drift i Norge. Hele sentralen var intakt ved nedleggelsen i 1993. Karasjok manuelle s... Karasjok manuelle telefonsentralen ligger i et samisktalende område og hadde to manuelle sentralbord med tolketjeneste for norsk og samisk. Linjene gikk til samiske vinterboplasser. Sentralen var den siste offentlige manuelle sentral som var i drift i Norge. Hele sentralen var intakt ved nedleggelsen i 1993. Karasjok manuelle sentral ligger i en bygning av tre. Ved siden av, men med adskilt inngang er det bevart en tjenestemannsleilighet fra midten av 1960-årene.
Identifier tka b 224
Object type Telefonsentral, manuell
Locality Gnr./bnr.: 9/1
Current placement Norge Finnmark Karasjok Karasjok Karasjok gnr/bnr 9/1
Indexing term Telefonsentraler
Type Building