Postal and Electrical Communications as a Subject of Scientific and Technical Partnership between the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc Countries in the 1960s – 1980s.

The article examines the aspects of the interstate scientific and technical cooperation between the “socialist commonwealth” countries in the field of postal and electrical communications in the post-war period. The basic platform for this partnership was the Organization for Socialist Countries Cooperation in the Field of Electric and Postal Communications (OSS) and the most significant, large-scale projects in the field of telegraph, telephone, postal and radio communications were implemented under its auspices. Later on, the CMEA Commission for Cooperation in the Field of Electrical and Postal Communications and, in part, the International Space Communications Organization “Intersputnik” joined in the OSS’ efforts. The communication infrastructures of the socialist commonwealth countries differed in their development stages, varying in size, scale and structure, their equipment and technologies complexes, and staffing and management policies. The effective use of the telecommunication system’s international segments was a common strategic task for the socialist bloc countries and, where possible, accommodated their national interests. It is emphasized that the rapid development of technologies, prompted by the scientific and technological revolution in telecommunications, brought to the fore the issues of efficient management and operation of the international segments of the socialist states’ national communication systems: the development of unified instructions, specifications, and methodological approaches; unified automation and billing of the international network, etc. At the same time, despite its importance as an infrastructural element of the economy, the communication system had not been placed on the list of priority areas of the interstate socio-economic cooperation.