And one day... they began to disappear. New personal communication options combined with the magic of portability made public phones lose that historical convenience that accompanied them for decades. A trained eye can still find them (although not without difficulty), and in most cases they likely don't work, courtesy of vandalism or lack of company maintenance. Today we take a brief visual tour, just a small tribute to those booths around the world that resist the passage of time, or that have already thrown in the towel against rust, humidity, and oblivion.
First there were tokens, small pieces with a special configuration. Then they adopted legal tender coins, and an attempt was made with magnetic cards, although this last method was quickly hacked in many countries. It did everything possible to adapt to new challenges, but it wasn't enough. Low-cost mobile devices, instant messaging, and WiFi left the humble public phone very low on our list of priorities.
Granted, semi-public units still exist, and the so-called "locutorio" underwent a mutation that led it to offer services beyond telephony; however, most companies did not hesitate to seal its fate, stop maintenance and begin the retirement.
Today we're going to see some of those public phones, unrepaired and unrestored. A couple are in good condition, but the rest are just as you can find them today: beaten, painted, abandoned.
The Gallery
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