PRX 205 - The World's Finest Reedswitch

This website is dedicated to the Philips PRX 205, a Processor Controlled telephone switching system developed by Philips Telecommunicatie Industrie BV (PTI) in its Hilversum, Netherlands laboratories during the late 1960s and put into production during the 1970s. Despite being a space division switching system, the advanced design of the PRX enabled it to evolve and to continue to provide advanced telephony services well into the 21st Century. The last PRX in the Netherlands closed on 7 December 2010.

PRX A exchanges were installed throughout the world both in traditional buildings and in specially adapted containers. Countries included the Netherlands, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Peru and Aruba. The only UK installations were in Jersey, where the Philips PRX A was adapted for the British market through its laboratories sited first in St Mary Cray then Malmesbury. A unique version of the Telephony Operating System (TOS v5) was developed to manage the peculiarities of the British telephony system at that time.

PRX was a generic brandname that was also later applied to the Philips Digital switching system, PRX D, that was under development during the late '70s and early '80s. PRX-D development was ceased when Philips formed a partnership with AT&T (later Lucent Technologies) in the mid-80s in favour of the American 5ESS switching system.

PRX A continued to be developed and deployed for a number of years after the sale of the Philips share of the business to AT&T, enabling it to be integrated into digital networks.

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