Editing Skywave (section)

===Marconi===
[[Guglielmo Marconi]] was the first to show that radios could communicate beyond line-of-sight, using the reflective properties of the ionosphere. On December 12, 1901, he sent a message around {{convert|2200|mi|km}} from his transmission station in [[Cornwall]], England, to [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] (now part of [[Canada]]). However, Marconi believed the radio waves were following the curvature of the Earth – the reflective properties of the ionosphere that enables 'sky waves' were not yet understood. Skepticism from the scientific community and his wired telegraph competitors drove Marconi to continue experimenting with wireless transmissions and associated business ventures over the next few decades.<ref>[https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/marconi-guglielmo.php Marconi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121222955/https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/marconi-guglielmo.php | access-date=2023-01-09 }}</ref>

In June and July 1923, [[Guglielmo Marconi]]'s land-to-ship transmissions were completed during nights on 97 meters from [[Poldhu|Poldhu Wireless Station]], [[Cornwall]], to his yacht Ellette in the [[Cape Verde|Cape Verde Islands]]. In September 1924, Marconi transmitted during daytime and nighttime on 32 meters from Poldhu to his yacht in [[Beirut]]. Marconi, in July 1924, entered into contracts with the British [[General Post Office]] (GPO) to install high speed shortwave telegraphy circuits from London to Australia, India, South Africa and Canada as the main element of the [[Imperial Wireless Chain]]. The UK-to-Canada shortwave "Beam Wireless Service" went into commercial operation on 25 October 1926. Beam Wireless Services from the UK to Australia, South Africa and India went into service in 1927.

Far more spectrum is available for long-distance communication in the shortwave bands than in the long wave bands; and shortwave transmitters, receivers and antennas were orders of magnitude less expensive than the multi-hundred kilowatt transmitters and monstrous antennas needed for long wave.

Shortwave communications began to grow rapidly in the 1920s,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/beyondionosphere00unitrich/beyondionosphere00unitrich_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Beyond the ionosphere : fifty years of satellite communication" |year=1997 |isbn=9780160490545 |access-date=2012-08-31}}</ref> similar to the internet in the late 20th century. By 1928, more than half of long-distance communications had moved from transoceanic cables and long-wave wireless services to shortwave "skip" transmission, and the overall volume of transoceanic shortwave communications had vastly increased. Shortwave also ended the need for multimillion-dollar investments in new transoceanic telegraph cables and massive long-wave wireless stations, although some existing transoceanic telegraph cables and commercial long-wave communications stations remained in use until the 1960s.

The cable companies began to lose large sums of money in 1927, and a serious financial crisis threatened the viability of cable companies that were vital to strategic British interests. The British government convened the Imperial Wireless and Cable Conference<ref>[http://www.porthcurno.org.uk/page.php?id=104 Cable and Wireless Pl c History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320053915/http://www.porthcurno.org.uk/page.php?id=104 |date=2015-03-20 }}</ref> in 1928 "to examine the situation that had arisen as a result of the competition of Beam Wireless with the Cable Services". It recommended and received Government approval for all overseas cable and wireless resources of the Empire to be merged into one system controlled by a newly formed company in 1929, Imperial and International Communications Ltd. The name of the company was changed to [[Cable & Wireless plc|Cable and Wireless Ltd.]] in 1934.