Final answer:
The telephone, since its invention, has evolved from a wired utility to a multi-faceted communications platform due to technological advances in microwave, satellite, and cellular systems.
Step-by-step explanation:
The telephone, introduced in 1876, has significantly changed the way we communicate, allowing for instant communication over long distances and facilitating urban sprawl. Originally, phone systems were a wired network and were seen as a public utility partly because of the impracticality of having multiple companies lay out extensive networks of wiring.
As technology advanced, microwave and satellite transmissions became feasible alternatives to wires for phone services, decreasing costs and increasing consumers' choice. This transition led to the end of AT&T's monopoly on long distance services and accelerated the growth of cellular phone systems, which transformed local service provision.
The availability of newer transmission methods made way for multiple firms to use the same transmission mechanism without the need for extensive individual wired networks.
The evolution of communication technology has also brought about more affordable and higher quality phone service, cheaper long-distance calls, and spin-off technologies such as free Internet-based calling and video calling. These advancements have shaped the current landscape of telecommunications, defining which products are considered utilities based on the available technology.