The End of an Era: Death of the pay phone?

[CatWoman]

In years past, the pay phone was a ubiquitous device, sprawling across the country and offering solace to generations of Canadians who were only a quarter away from home. But following Monday's announcement from AT&T Inc. that it will be exiting its pay phone business -- which some experts marked as the beginning of the end for the century-old technology -- there's limited time left for Canadians to make calls conveniently with their loose change.

With wireless devices dominating the telecom landscape, AT&T recognized that with the pay phone's shrinking revenues, high costs and declining usage, it didn't make sense to keep the business active.

The U.S. version of Ma Bell will leave the business entirely by the end of next year.

"This is the right time for us to take this step on behalf of our customers, employees and stockholders," said AT&T vice-president for customer information services David Huntley.

The move made economic sense, considering pay phones in the United States have declined in number from about 2.6 million phones in 1998 to an estimated one million phones today.

http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=141624

[MADem]

1. The future will probably be 'business owned' phones.

Common in pubs in Ireland.

Getting rid of pay phones entirely is stupid. The next time land lines are the only phones that work they'll be sorry and remember why it's a bad idea not to have any land line phones.

[symbolman]

4. Yep

Just wait until there's a Nuke Event, blown while over a city or two, or even some wicked sun spot hurling an arm of flame at the earth, and all the BATTERIES get WIPED Out.. Watch the Rush for payohones THEN, eh?

I miss the old suckers where you could make a call with a soda pop straw and a Penny :)

Anyone remember fun ways they used to cheat Ma Bell? :)

[MADem]

10. The dime on the piece of fishing line...! nt

[symbolman]

11. LOL

Never tried that one! I'm too lazy to actually construct something, but I could find a Straw anywhere :)

[blues90]

5. The next step will the

the end of even household landlines and we will be forced to use cells for even internet connections all brought to you by some over priced package deal .

[symbolman]

8. Ignore

Double post

[symbolman]

9. Sure, some nice corporation

that will shut down Internet access whenever Cheney Farts :)

Everyone says the Internet can't be shut down, I can think of about six "boiling the frog" scenarios without even popping a sweat where it could be shut Down, actually, it would still be there, just that no one could get TO IT..

Right now they're too greedy though, they'd rather you have as many phones as possible, doesn't bother "Carnivore" in the least, the old school tracking system, I'm sure they've got WAY better shit now :)

[Parche]

2. Hello, Is That You Catwoman.

Oh Sorry, wrong number.........:rofl: :rofl:
:hi:


OH MEOW

[CatWoman]

3. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

good one!!!

:rofl:

[Bicoastal]

6. Speaking of Catwoman....

...where the hell is Superman going to change?

In gas station bathrooms?

[JuniperLea]

7. This reminds me of getting rid of broadcast television and radio

You see, broadcast can be used by anyone... the guvmint can't control it. So, force everyone to have cable and cell phones... then they can pull the plug on all of us when we need to communicate the revolution~!

I know, tinfoil hatty... but jeez. Where will this manipulation end?

[CatWoman]

12. I'm surprised they still publish the white and yellow pages........