1998 - the number of points of money transfers worldwide reached 50,000. The network of money transfers of Western Union is the world's largest. Another invention of Western Union - time synchronization. The size of the commission fee for the transfer is charged according to the Western Union tariffs and depends on the amount of money sent. Payment systems are one of basic elements of infrastructure of e-commerce. Thanks to cooperation with Western Union the Associated Press at the end of the XIX century took almost monopolistic position in the U.S. market news. In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone. In 1849, Selden and Sibley, the founders of the future Western Union, created the New York State Printing Telegraph Company.