Siemens Communications was the communications and information business arm of German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG, until 2006. It was the largest division of Siemens, and had two business units – Mobile Networks and Fixed Networks; and Enterprise.
Siemens Communications division was founded in 1998 through the amalgamation of a number of early groups / divisions of Siemens AG, the oldest of which traces back to the company 'Siemens & Halske Telegraph Construction Company' founded in 1847, and the most prominent predecessor being the 1978-founded 'Siemens Communication Systems'. On October 1, 2006, Siemens AG decided to divide Siemens Communications into two companies: 'Siemens Networks GmbH & Co. KG' and 'Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. KG'.
The company remains extant, through a series of mergers and divisions, as Siemens Enterprise Communications – a 2008 joint venture with the Gores Group where Siemens AG hold 49% with the balance of 51% held by the American partner.
History
Origins (1847–1978)
Siemens Communications traces its origins to the company Siemens & Halske Telegraph Construction Company (German legal name: Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske) founded by Werner von Siemens