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Fast, secure, efficient: the fax machine was a revolution when it was invented. Today the paper spitters seem out of date. But they are far from extinct.
It’s like traveling through time when you walk down the stairs in the depot of the Communications Museum in Heusenstamm. What was once all the rage is stored here behind huge, heavy doors: TV sets, TV cameras, teleprinters and also: fax machines. “This is one of the first fax machines that existed in Germany. This is an Infotec 6002. These machines have been around since 1974,” explains collection manager Frank Gnegel.
He points to a device that reaches above his hip and is painted gray-orange. It only has a few square white buttons. It also has a green button to send a fax and a red button to stop sending. To dial the number to which the fax should be sent, an orange rotary telephone sits on top of the fax machine. “When someone answered, you pressed send, the fax was sent, and then you could hang up,” explains Gnegel.
Simply connect and start faxing
It was not until four years later, i.e. in 1978, that fax machines received official postal approval in Germany, and in 1979 the fax service was officially introduced by the Deutsche Bundespost. However, it took until the 1980s for the fax machine to become established in German offices: According to the Central Telecommunications Office, in 1981 there were only 4,367 fax connections, but in 1989 there were already 375,000 fax connections throughout the country.
According to Gnegel, there was one main reason why fax machines became so popular: “Anyone could use the fax machine, and you could connect it to the telephone line, which was very easy to use.”
There are still over 700 fax machines in Frankfurt City administration
And today the fax machine is still in numerous German offices, for example at the Frankfurt city administration. “We estimate that of the original 2,500 fax machines, there are now around 700 in the city of Frankfurt,” says Eileen O’Sullivan, city councilor in the digital department. However, the remaining number of fax machines in the city administration cannot be determined precisely because the connections are managed decentrally at the various specialist offices.
But it’s not just in the city of Frankfurt that there are still hundreds of fax machines. According to the digital association Bitkom, 82 percent of companies across Germany used fax machines last year. “The number one reason why faxing is still used is because it is simply essential when communicating with authorities,” explains Daniil Heinze from Bitkom. In addition, the fax machine is established as a means of communication in many companies and authorities, says Heinze. The hurdle to getting rid of the devices is simply higher.
Fax machines as a savior in times of need
But the remaining devices are not always used just out of habit: faxing is currently being used again at the University Hospital in Frankfurt – but due to a hacker attack. According to Medical Director Jürgen Graf, the hospital’s entire IT needs to be rebuilt – until then it will be faxed. “It’s like the 1980s,” Graf told us hessenschau.de.
Fax machines began their triumphal march in the 1980s. “But they only became really successful at the beginning of the 1990s: in 1993 there were almost two million fax machines in Germany,” reports collection manager Gnegel. At that time, fax machines also became smaller, more manageable, even portable in bags that could be connected to a telephone booth. Even back then you could be reached – almost – everywhere.
Still extremely popular
In any case, little has changed in terms of popularity, explains Bitkom spokesman Heinze: “Although emails can be encrypted, some organizations such as authorities continue to view faxing as a secure method for transmitting confidential documents, as the transmission can simply be done directly from a device on the other hand.”
Nevertheless: Today only very few fax machines are analogue. Instead, faxes are now primarily sent as e-faxes, according to the expert: “Fax to email or email to fax – these are the terms that are commonly known today. Incoming and outgoing faxes are simply transmitted via email and received.”
More digital communication
The digital department in the Frankfurt city administration only receives e-faxes – if at all. Although the fax number is still on the website, it is hardly used. And soon the number could even be switched off completely, because all fax machines in the entire city administration are supposed to be abolished.
“We are embarking on a digital path,” said City Councilor O’Sullivan: “That also means that we will clearly say goodbye to faxes in 2024 and that we will also look very hard at using the digital communication channels that are there Yes, it already exists, we should continue to expand it.” For example, citizen communication should be even more digital in the future.
The end of fax machines?
There are also similar initiatives in many state governments: In Bavaria, for example, Digital Minister Fabian Mehring wants to ban the devices from public administration. Mehring wants to make Bavaria the first fax-free federal state – at least as far as work in authorities is concerned.
The German Bundestag also wants to abolish paper spitters: the plug on all remaining fax machines should be pulled by June 30, 2024. However, whether entries can still be submitted remains questionable – because loud Bild newspaper The application to abolish fax machines was submitted by fax.