-sound through Telegraphy is really old and begins with Joseph Henry's bell connected to telegraph (Telegraphy > ^e2b436), this and its successor clicker called "telephons"
-experiments with transmitting recorded sound begin, none of them really viable
-especially since they do not take into account tones
-takes rise of telegraph multiplexing
-attempts at two, four-overlain telegraphs succeed
-and time-sharing used as well for multiplexing
-next one is harmonic telegraphs
-discovered during French Wars > Fifth French War (1890-5), indeed experimentation with it is source of discovery of Photonics communication
-note that with fewer private telegraph companies, OTL Gardiner Hubbard's desire to get multiplexing does not exist
-doesn't take too long for people to notice this could be used to transmit various tones and merge them at the source
-in 1896, some German guy successfully achieves harmonic multiplexing through something akin to OTL acoustic transfer
-in 1897, some Hungarian guy comes up with something akin to undulatory transfer, and the following year unveils a working "speaking telegraph"
-in the UK it gets viewed as useless because you can transmit all info thru text anyways, some British guy calls it a "telepalaver" in reference to this
-that "a" gets dropped eventually
-gets adopted esp. by France where (in Anvers) "palaver" does not have derogatory meanings
-also develops, from France, ohé as phone greeting, goes into English as "ahoy"
-in 19naughties development of telepalver networks, connected by district w/ switchboards
-note that, due to more nationalized telegraphy passing on to telepalver networks, this is slower and less redundant than OTL
-in 1919, American guy comes up with automatic switchboard system, sees widespread
-growing and growing organization
-following French Wars > Sixth French War (1937-41), well-developed palver system is generally rationalized, area codes are a general trend around the world
-auto-palver in 1960s
-immediately obsoleted by oil shock, but many put on trains
-briefcase-palver invented in 1970s
-miniaturized to handheld-palver in noughties, commercially viable in next decade
-rise of pocket-palvers, many of them clamshell design (futuristic design), in "modern day"