Skip to main content

AT&T Hangs Up on Pay Phones

AT&T Hangs Up on Pay Phones
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The preponderance of cell phones in U.S. society may be creating all sorts of businesses opportunities that didn’t exist two decades ago, but it’s bad news for at least one former stalwart of the American landscape: pay phones. Over the last few years, public coin-operated phones have gone from being something one could see on many street corners and in most businesses to quaint rarities…nowadays, if you need one, you can expect to spend a lot of time trying to find one, and, if you can find one, you’ll be astonished at the cost of a single local call. There used to be almost 3 million public pay phones in the U.S.; now, there are an estimated 1 million in service.

The reasons for the pay phones’ decline are simple: with an enormous percentage o the American public using mobile phones, the need for public pay phones has declined, so companies offering pay phones are earning far less money from them. And pay phones are still a pain to operate and maintain, subject to the elements, vandalism, and needing regular service and collection by way of a real life human being.

Recommended Videos

Today, telecommunications giant AT&T announced it would be exiting the mobile phone business by the end of 2008. AT&T subsidiary BellSouth had already quit the pay phone business in its nine-state area; AT&T’s move will impact a thirteen-state area, consisting of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, California (through Pacific Bell), Wisconsin, parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri, and areas covered by the Southern New England Telephone Company.

“This is the right time for us to take this step on behalf of our customers, employees and stockholders,” said AT&T senior VP for customer information services David Huntley, in a statement. “We expect that independent providers will pick up much of this business, and, as we exit the business, we will be able to refocus our resources to areas that offer stronger growth potential and greater opportunity for the company.”

AT&T plans to phase out both public pay phones and phones it provides under contract at prisons.

Geoff Duncan
Former Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Honor Magic V5 is a seriously impressive foldable phone, so it’s gutting it’s not available in the US
We've been hands-on with the world's thinnest foldable phone
The internal screen of the Magic V5, standing on the edge of a foosball table

The Honor Magic V5 is the world’s thinnest foldable phone, and while the thickness of your phone may not be a driving force behind your purchasing decision my brief time so far with this handset has shown there’s more going on here than a simple spec benchmark.

If I were Samsung, I’d be looking a little nervously over my shoulder as I prepare for the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 launch on July 9.

Read more
The world’s thinnest foldable phone is actually thicker than its predecessor
The Honor Magic V5 is super slim, but it also bulks out in one key area
The Magic V5 and Magic V3 foldable phones being held in one hand

I’ve been hands-on with the Honor Magic V5, officially the world’s thinnest foldable phone - a title the Chinese manufacturer expects the phone to retain throughout 2025.

But while it is the thinnest foldable around, it’s also oddly thicker in one key way than its predecessor the Magic V3 (a former world’s thinnest foldable itself) and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold I had in my pocket.

Read more
Apple Watch Series 11: everything you need to know
The Apple Watch Series 10, with a leather band, on someone's wrist.

Apple’s next smartwatch is merely a few months away, and ahead of its expected Fall debut, we have come across rather interesting bits of information. For starters, it may not serve any design surprises. On the other hand, some next-gen health innovations could be on the horizon. 

Let’s start with the name. Well, don’t expect any fireworks here. The upcoming smartwatch will most likely hit the shelves carrying the Apple Watch Series 11 label. How much will it cost? Barring any major hardware-level changes or Apple seriously feeling the pinch of tariffs, we are looking at a familiar starting price of $399 per timepiece. 

Read more