In the early forties of the 20th century, Western Union has used the first time a commercial intercity microwave transmission system. Separation of the companies had two objectives: first, to give Western Union the opportunity to develop more intensively, and secondly, to help First Data to return to its original activity (in 1992 the company separated from the payment system of American Express as an independent financial services company). The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services You do not need to open a bank account, so you can send or receive money in any of the 170 000 service points of Western Union around the world. In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone. Number of active holders of "Golden Card" of Western Union amounted to 9.5 million people worldwide.