Operator

In 1882, the first telephone line was installed in San Sebastián, connecting the Civil Government with the City Council. In 1908, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa obtained the concession to establish and operate a provincial telephone network.

The role of the operators included manually connecting calls between subscribers, providing information and assistance to users, and keeping records of calls made. Working conditions were not optimal. You had to endure long working hours, often in rotating shifts, and they required skills such as speed, good memory, and courtesy. Telephone operators were all women, usually young and single, as the job was considered feminine. However, the job of telephone operator represented a vital job opportunity for women in an era of limited options and contributed to the incorporation of women into the formal labor market.

In 1924, the National Telephone Company of Spain (CTNE) was created, which took over the management of most of the state’s telephone networks. The gradual automation of telephone exchanges from the 1950s and 1960s onwards began to reduce the need for manual operators. With the introduction of automatic exchanges, the traditional role of operators was diminished. Many operators were relocated to other departments in telephone companies or offered training for new roles. Although the conventional telephone operator job has disappeared, its legacy persists. They contributed significantly to the development of telecommunications in Gipuzkoa and throughout the country and were pioneers in the incorporation of women into the telecommunications sector. Their work laid the foundations for modern customer service in the industry. Today, this work is done by chatbots, usually with female voices.