The landline telephone was the first speed-of-light communications technology that anybody could use. The telegraph was invented earlier, but it wasn't practical to put in every home and office—plus, you needed to learn Morse Code to talk to anybody.
Once you could talk to anyone, mobile, in any language you pleased, everything about business changed. Entire industries sprang up around the phone—not just to take care of the wiring, but to help facilitate the connections and opportunities that all that unfettered communication brought with it.