Editing TAE connector (section)

==History==
The TAE system was introduced in the late 1980s before the German government-owned institution [[Deutsche Bundespost]] (DBP, German Federal Post) was divided into [[Deutsche Post]] (postal service), [[Deutsche Telekom]] (telecommunication services) and [[Deutsche Postbank|Postbank]] (financial services). Previously, the older {{interlanguage link|ADo|de|Anschlussdose (Telefon)}} type connectors had been used, or telephones had been hardwired to their ({{interlanguage link|VDo|de|Verbinderdose}}) wall sockets, and only officially approved telephones (legally distributable only by the DBP) were allowed to be connected to the telephone system. Furthermore, telephones and other communication devices could only be leased from the DBP and not be sold or bought on the free market.

The introduction of the TAE system was the practical enabling technology of the legal specification in Germany that communication terminal equipment should be in the responsibility of end users. Subsequently, many communication devices became available in the open market that could be plugged into standard TAE sockets. Adaptors allow for connecting devices with [[registered jack]]s that are more prevalent internationally.

Today, TAE connectors are common in [[Germany]] and other central European countries like [[Liechtenstein]] and [[Luxembourg]]. Modern TAE sockets also contain circuits referred to as ''passiver Prüfabschluss'', meaning ''passive test termination''. This provides a discernible condition to the telephone exchange indicating that the line is continuous to the TAE-connected device.