INTELPOST........ What the heck is that?

 
 


Stampsjoann (click here)


In 1986, Greece issued a two-stamp series called "New Postal Services." The first stamp in this series, Scott #1570, commemorated INTELPOST.

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Great Britain used a series of cancels to commemorate the establishment of INTELPOST.The cover below has the 2nd anniversary postmark in conjunction with the First Day of Issue of an Information Technology set of two stamps. The  stamp on this cover, Scott #1000 shows hieroglyphics, a library and a word processor. The other stamp in the series, Scott #1001, pictured a viewdata set, a satellite, and a laser pen.

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A cover from 1985 commemorates the 5th anniversary of INTELPOST in Great Britain. Scott #1111 illustrates the Royal Mail Datapost, a motorcyclist and a plane. This was the first in a four-stamp series (#1111-1114) commemorating the 350th anniversary of Royal Mail Service.

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Australia commemorated INTELPOST with this 1985 stamp, Scott #961, labeled Electronic Mail.

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On the back of the cover is a brief explanation of the INTELPOST service indicating that Australia began a facsimile service in February 1984. The service expanded, and in September 1985, an electronic text messaging system was launched.

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The United States Postal Service (USPS) promoted INTELPOST as shown on this philatelic panel issued by the San Francisco Division of the USPS in 1987 to note the First Day of the 22¢ Love stamp issue, Scott #2248.


So what is this INTELPOST anyway?

Since the 1960s the United States Post Office (and its successor the United States Postal Service) had attempted to develop economically feasible electronic mail.

The early attempts at domestic electronic mail can be seen in my one-frame exhibit shown <here>

The USPS did not stop by attempting to develop domestic electronic mail.  It also tried to develop a service for international electronic mail which it called INTELPOST (International Electronic Post). Plans to begin the service were announced in March 1978 when the USPS awarded a contract to Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSTAT) to develop an experimental international electronic service. Tests run a year later between the United States and the United Kingdom were very successful.

However, regulatory delays in the US prevented the USPS from using the American satellites for transmission. As a result, INTELPOST service was first offered to the public in June 1980 between Canada and the United Kingdom. Originating locations in the US, Washington, DC and New York City, directed messages to Toronto where a switching arrangement allowed transmission by satellite to London. (Linn's 2/2/81) On March 4, 1982, the USPS was able to utilize direct inter-commercial data service furnished by an American Inter Record Carrier (IRC) for the first time.

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INTELPOST was a high-speed facsimile (FAX) service in which an original letter/document and a transmittal form were scanned in black and white and transmitted in digital code via satellite to a receiver in the INTELPOST destination city. The digital signal was converted back into the original form and placed in an INTELPOST envelope. (Canadian Philatelist, Sept-Oct 1981) This digital transmission seemed ideal for images and non-Western characters. This example of a test transmission sheet (below) included printed text in English, handwritten text, a drawing, and a chart.

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The service was touted by the USPS as reliable, prompt, cheaper than most international service and secure. The cost of the service was $5 per page (the transmittal form was not counted as a page). Any document no larger than 8½" by 14", which could be photocopied, could be sent. Below is an illustration of a transmittal form as published in a USPS service description manual from 10/01/81.

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By 1983 there were five service centers in the US: Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Houston. Acceptance points were located in Argentina, Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom with other nations considering the service.

However, in April 1984, the House Committee on Government Operations reported that INTELPOST was a complete failure due to the large amount of money spent ($6 million) and the low number of pages transmitted (less than 12 thousand). The USPS had estimated that there would be at least $42 million in revenue and 20 million pages sent in 1984. Gross revenue in three years of operation was less than $60 thousand.

Other postal developments in the middle 1980s and 1990s helped to slow the growth of INTELPOST. Services such as International Priority Airmail and International Business Reply were offered at lower costs. (Detailed information about these services can be found in U.S. International Postal Rates 1872-1996, by Anthony S. Wawrukiewicz and Henry W. Beecher, pp. 222-224.)

And, personal electronic communication soon developed to the point that INTELPOST  became obsolete and unnecessary.  In many years of searching, I have found few examples of this failed experiment of international electronic mail. 

An example of INTELPOST received in Hong Kong is shown here.

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When received in the destination city, the document was 1)held for the addressee to pick up, 2)put in the regular mail stream, or 3)delivered by Special Delivery for an extra cost. Below is an example of INTELPOST received in Chicago and delivered by Special Delivery.

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The reverse shows...

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An INTELPOST cancel from Washington DC seems to have inadvertently been used on this 8½" x 11" folded United Nations newsletter.  Perhaps the newsletter was being transmitted to foreign addresses by INTELPOST while domestic addresses received regular First Class delivery from the same origin in Washington and the INTELPOST cancel was used to show the current mailing date on a "stale" meter franking..

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This Japanese stamp, Scott #1585, was issued on 10/01/84. The design is an electronic mail mark and image of speed. The First Day of Issue brochure to which this stamp was attached stated:

"Electronic mail is a new type of mail delivery whereby mail is sent by facsimile machine to the receiving office where it is placed in an envelope and delivered." The service began in July 1981 for some post offices in Japan. Nationwide service began in 10/01/84, the date of issue of the stamp.

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Shown below is what appears to be an example of this electronic mail from Japan.  The cover bears the same symbol as the stamp above. Not being able to read Japanese I'm not sure what the cover is, but I am making a guess that it is not INTELPOST but rather is an example of the domestic electronic mail generated in Japan and delivered in Japan.   I sure would appreciate your help in determining exactly what this piece is.

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The back of the cover...

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Here is the enclosed letter.

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According to the USPS Postal Bulletin (PB 21954) dated 09/11/97: "Effective October 15, 1997, originating and destinating INTELPOST service will no longer be offered." But, according to a list of treaties and other international agreements in force on January 1, 2002, twenty-nine countries still had agreements with the USA regarding INTELPOST (list compiled by Treaty Affairs Staff, Office of the Legal Advisor, Department of State).

On 03/18/04, the Postal Bulletin (PB 22124) stated: "Effective March 18, 2004, the Postal Operations Manual (POM) is revised to reflect that INTELPOST (International Electronic Post) service is no longer available." INTELPOST had gone the way of the domestic electronic attempts of mail transmission.

Today personal computers, e-mail and the Internet have made communication, both domestic and international, an almost instant possibility for millions.

I welcome additional information about the INTELPOST service or other electronic mail services of the USPS.

 
 


Stampsjoann (click here)