More or less. It's not clear.
Antonio Meucci, an Italian inventor, developed a voice communication link that connected his bedroom to the laboratory. For many, this was clearly the first telephone. Meucci filed a patent caveat for the device 5 years before Bell managed to patented it, but he never mentioned anything about electromagnetic transmission of vocal sound.
Not only that... soon after, Meucci was in a ferry boat when it exploded. Severely burned, unable to speak proper English and depending on the help of others to live, he never payed for the 10 dollars to renew the patent caveat that expired in 1874.
Bell patented the telephone in 1874.
See you tomorrow for more “Useless information”
RMach
Sources:
http://www.famousscientists.org/antonio-meucci/
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1240794/tragic-tale-telephones-real-inventor-antonio-meucci
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Meucci