Telekom Rides Changing Payphone Trend

Deutsche Telekom plans to install a total of 10,000 new public payphones nationwide in the coming year. Depending on the location, the company will install coin and card-operated phones, as well as the latest units that allow for alternative payment methods such as credit and debit cards. Since the introduction of the euro, coin-operated phones have picked up in popularity, T-Com spokesman George McKinney said. The trend is due to the increasing numbers of people in places such as airports and train stations who now have the appropriate coins in their pockets. Over the past 15 years, Telekom has dismantled 30,000 telephone booths as they proved to be less profitable and more susceptible to vandalism. The new phones will take the form of freestanding columns or wall-mounted units.