ETB was created on August 28, 1884 when a Cuban, José Raimundo Martínez created the Colombian Telephone Company, or in Spanish, "La Compañia Colombiana de Telefonos (CTC)". The company's first headquarters was in the Arrubla Galleries, on the western side of the Plaza Bolívar, on 10th street and 8th avenue, Bogotá. In 1900, when they had 100 installed lines, a fire destroyed a good part of the Arrubla Galleries and taking with it the facilities and the main office of the Colombian Telephone Company. Six years later, they resumed provisional service by means of The Bogotá Telephone Company. The headquarters of the new company were located on 8th avenue and 20th street, where the principal offices of the company were located.