The plant was started in Nizhny Novgorod in 1917 as "Joint Stock Association of Siemens and Halske Works in Russia". Renamed in 1919 to "Nizhegorodsky Telephone Works". Up to 1929, produced some telephone equipment along with early crystal sets (LDV-7, P-5, P-8). After the Central Military and Industrial Radio Laboratory (CVIRL) was started in Nizhny Novgorod in 1929 to design radios for the Red Army, "Nizhegorodsky Telephone Works" switched over to military production manufacturing the very first domestic radios for the Red Army (31-DP, 32-DP, 5-DP, 24-DV and 23-TV). In 1931, the name was given to the plant - "Nizhegorodsky Radiotelephone Works".

In 1932-1945, the plant was in full production of military radios. The name of the plant was changed to "Lenin Works No. 197". There were portable radios produced for infantry (6-PK), battalion and company level radios (5-AK, 11-AK), several airborne models including famous RSB and its land mobile counterpart, RSB-F. High-power transportable radios including RAF, RAF-KW and their modifications have provided radio communication for the top Red Army commanders in 1941-1945.

After war was over in 1945, the "Lenin Works No. 197" kept manufacturing military radios part of which has been converted to civil service needs. But by 1954, all radio communications manufacture was completely stopped at that plant. New business line was TV sets. By early 1960s the plant was renamed to "Gorkovsky Lenin Television Works" and currently holds official name OAO "Nizhegorodsky Lenin Television Works (NITEL)".