The telephone was invented in 1876, and Russian engineers made a significant contribution to the development of global telephony. Among them stands out Evgeny Ivanovich Gvozdyev, who developed a method for transmitting signals without interference over long distances. It all began in 1880 when Captain of the Tsarist Army Grigory Ignatiev created a line for simultaneous transmission of telegraphic and telephone messages, connecting infantry and sapper battalions over a distance of 15 kilometers. However, this system was used only in the Military Department and did not gain widespread use in the civilian sector.

Evgeny Gvozdyev paid attention to some technical solutions and significantly improved Ignatiev's apparatus by implementing innovative changes. As a result, he created a device capable of transmitting a clear signal over hundreds of kilometers. Tests were conducted in 1888 on the Rybinsk-Bologovskaya railway. The newspaper 'Yaroslavl Provincial News' reported: 'Conversations were held between the stations Rybinsk and Medvedevo, 274 versts without battery reinforcement of the existing telegraph and without disrupting telegraph communication. Speech was heard with astonishing clarity and distinctness.' Soon, such devices were installed on the Oryol-Vitebsk and Kiev-Voronezh railways.

Gvozdyev's phones became most widespread in the Ryazan province, where they connected 12 district cities. Later, some government lines were also modernized according to his designs. Gvozdyev had many plans, but his life was cut short at the age of 49, interrupting the activities of a talented scientist.