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Company type | Private company |
---|---|
Industry | Telecommunications |
Predecessor | Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company (1897–1900) Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company (1900–1963) |
Founded | 1897 (as Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company) 1900 (as Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company) 1963 (as Marconi Company Ltd) |
Founder | Guglielmo Marconi |
Defunct | 1987 (as Marconi Company Ltd) 2006 (as Marconi Corporation plc) |
Fate | Acquired by GEC (1968) Renamed to GEC-Marconi Ltd (1987) |
Successor | CMC Electronics (1903–present) GEC-Marconi Ltd (1987–1998) BAE Systems (1999 to present) Marconi plc (1999–2003) Marconi Corporation plc (2003–2006) Ericsson (2005 to present) Telent (2005 to present) |
Headquarters | |
Owner | English Electric (1946–1968) General Electric Company plc (1968–1998) Marconi plc (1999–2003) Marconi Corporation plc (2003–2006) |
The Marconi Company was a British telecommunications and engineering company founded by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 which was a pioneer of wireless long distance communication and mass media broadcasting, eventually becoming one of the UK's most successful manufacturing companies.
Its roots were in the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company, which underwent several changes in name after mergers and acquisitions. In 1999, its defence equipment manufacturing division, Marconi Electronic Systems, merged with British Aerospace (BAe) to form BAE Systems. In 2006, financial difficulties led to the collapse of the remaining company, with the bulk of the business acquired by the Swedish telecommunications company, Ericsson.