Muzium Telekom (Telecom Museum) – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Atlas Obscura

Muzium Telekom (Telecom Museum)

Malaysia's first interactive museum. 

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The old exchange building Bukit Nanas is located at the intersection of Jalan Gereja and Jalan Raja Chulan. The building was built in 1928 as the Central Battery Telephone Exchange by the British during their colonization of Malaysia. The site was ideally suited as it provided important links to Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding environment. It was subsequently upgraded from manual to mechanical in 1938.

During World War II, the building was targeted by the Japanese before their occupation of Malaysia. Afterward, the British return was short-lived and the building was taken over by Telekom Malaysia following independence.

With the inception of International Direct Dialing from Malaysia, the requirement for switchboard-operated communications ended including the use of the building. However, in 1985, the prime minister at the time saved the building from demolition.

The Telecommunication Museum was the first of its kind in Malaysia to have interactive exhibits. The museum is a repository of old telephones and outdated machinery once used for telecommunication. It houses several audio-visual exhibits, educative rooms for school kids archives, and resource areas with some artifacts over 120 years old and going back to the prewar era. Apart from an array of very stylish phones, there is even a telephone book that includes popular advertisements from the 1960s.

Know Before You Go

To get here take the LRT and alight at Masjid Jamek Station. As you exit the station, look for Jalan Tun Perak Road and walk along it toward the Maybank Tower.


As you are about to reach Maybank Tower, turn left to Jalan Raja Chulan and you will see the Museum. Entrance to the museum is free. Opening hours 9 am - 5 pm (Monday to Sunday). The museum is closed on public holidays.

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July 11, 2023

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