3228 farewell broadcasts
Deutsche Post discontinued the telegram at the end of the year
3228 pieces were sent again on the last day of last year – then the Deutsche Post stopped the telegram after 170 years.
The sending of telegrams abroad was already stopped in 2008.
This number is exceptionally high, as the company announced on Wednesday, in previous years only between 200 and 300 telegrams were sent per month.
In the past, the telegram was indispensable for quickly sending messages by post. It was used for political news, but also for news of a birth. The style was concise: the language was extremely shortened, personal pronouns or adjectives were often left out. In times of smartphones and the Internet, the technology is now considered outdated and also expensive – a written telegram with a maximum of 160 characters recently cost 12.57 euros.
In recent years, the demand for telegrams from private customers has “decreased more and more”, which is why the product has now been discontinued, according to the Post on its website. Most recently, the telegram was mainly used by companies and administrations. In 2008, Swiss Post had already stopped sending telegrams abroad.
(AFP)