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Speedy Cutover Service, SXS switching cutover to ESS filmed live at Glendale CA central office, 1984

AT&T Tech Channel · 993.6K views · 2015-05-12 · 4:35

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Overview

A 1984 AT&T film showing the live cutover of a Glendale, California central office from step-by-step switching to an electronic switching system. Installers prepare the site and then cut cables in a coordinated operation.

On Hacker News

HN links it as a vivid example of high-stakes telco cutovers, done with careful coordination, big cable cutters and under a minute of downtime.

Recommended by 2 HN people across 2 months · HN mentions 2018–2025

Topics

History of computingNetworking & internet infrastructure
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at&tcentral officeesstelecom historycutover

What people said

Doxin · 2023-04 · Recommendation

This[1] is a great video on the topic of cutovers. Not quite downtime-less, but seriously impressive little amount of downtime in any case. [1] [VIDEO]

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tjohns · 2018-12 · Recommendation

There's an old AT&T video showing the careful coordination and huge amount of manpower needed to upgrade a single telco switch. They had rows of workers with cable cutters, in order to literally cut the entire service over to the new equipment. Total downtime was just 47 seconds. (And even during the cutover, they're careful not to interrupt any emergency calls.) [VIDEO]

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somat · 2025-09 · Reference

Unrelated, but the title made me think of this video where AT&T failed over old switch frames to new ones by manually cutting all the cable bundles, very dramatic. [VIDEO] (Speedy Cutover Service, SXS switching cutover to ESS filmed live at Glendale CA central office, 1984)

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Sources

Video by AT&T Tech Channel, played through YouTube.

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