Exponential. From analogue to digital

From the appearance of the first telephones in the 19th century to the arrival of the Internet, mobile telephony and artificial intelligence, the exhibition explores the social paradigm shift derived from the arrival of each new technology and the human stories that surround it.

Few sectors have evolved as much and as rapidly as the telecommunications sector. Little more than 150 years separate the transmission of the first electrical signals that made instantaneous, global communication possible through the telegraph from the ubiquitous social networks and video calls. The exponential nature of these technologies is the central theme of the exhibition: technology as an idea of progress in our lives, the reflection of the technological tsunami that human beings have experienced in the last century and how they have adapted to this paradigm shift in a complex environment. A paradigm shift in which Telefónica has been able to transform itself, always ahead of its time and with a clear mission: to provide a service and be of use to society. From its creation in 1924, to the deployment of the fixed telephony network in Spain, the launch of mobile telephony, Internet television and becoming a pioneer in the technological leap from copper to fibre.

Exponential. From analogue to digital welcomes the visitor with a light installation that illustrates this concept of acceleration: the telephone took fifty years to reach one hundred million users; the mobile phone, twelve; Instagram, two years; and chatGPT achieved it in just two months. Throughout the tour, visitors will find eighty objects from Telefónica’s Historical Technological Heritage, made up of more than 10,000 items; audiovisuals and nine interactive installations, as well as infographics and documentary material, which will make them reflect on how the way we communicate has changed and how this has affected all areas of life.