The 1966 Bell System ad, “You Can Telephone All Over the World,” highlighted a defining moment in telecommunications history: long distance calls to 96.8% of the telephones in the world. This was a game-changer in the 1960s and provided a way for Bell System to connect the global community.

Today, 50 years later, it’s not just about voice anymore. We’ve taken the idea of communication and turned it on its head to provide instant, real-time, and in some cases, face-to-face collaboration with people thousands of miles away. We’re connecting families with loved ones, businesses with customers, remote employees with company headquarters, service members with family and friends back home, and so much more.

With the amount of technological progress we’ve made in just 50 years, one can only imagine what’s in store for the next half-century. In 2066, will we look back at today’s communications and reflect on how simple it all seems?

Thanks, Bell System. Here’s to the next 50 years.