Multitone Electronics plc is a British company, founded in 1931. Initially a manufacturer of
hearing aid
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers s ...
s, before becoming a pioneer in the development of
pager
A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...
s (bleepers). Multitone now makes wireless voice and messaging systems.
Multitone Electronics is a British company, founded by
Joseph Poliakoff in London in 1931, with a £500 loan from Henry Myer, his lawyer.
Joseph Poliakoff was a Russian-born telephone and sound engineer and inventor.
The first offices were in
White Lion Street,
Angel Islington, London.
Notable customers for the company's hearing aids included
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
.
Joseph Poliakoff's son,
Alexander Poliakoff (1910–1996), a Russian-born British electronics engineer, inventor and businessman, was the chairman of Multitone Electronics for over 40 years.
He retired in 1977 and sold the company to Hong Kong-based Champion Technology.
Multitone Electronics is a subsidiary of Hong Kong listed company
Champion Technology Holdings since 1993.
References
{{Reflist
British companies established in 1931
Companies based in Basingstoke