Public Phone

I thought public phone was something of the past. I was wrong…

Malaysia has a mobile phone penetration rate of 94%. The figure is over 100% in some countries, such as Hong Kong, UK and Singapore. Teachers and parents are debating whether students are allowed to bring mobile phones to school. But in the not so distant past, few people used mobile phones. I certainly didn’t own one. When I wanted to make call, I had to look for a public phone.

Chances are, the nearest public phone was out of order, so I had to go to the next one. But the next one was also not working, and I had to search harder. Finally, I found a good one, but there were already 5 or 6 people lining up. The inconsiderate young guy was chatting with his lover over the phone. He talked for more than 10 minutes. Everyone behind him was impatient and agitated. I started to curse him, “This bloody hell f*****… I wanna kill him!”

When mobile phone eventually became a household product, public phone booths went into oblivion. Why bother to use a public phone, when we can call from home, Starbucks, even inside a cinema?

To my surprise, I saw some new public phone booths popping up recently. Who are using them, when even low-waged migrant workers from Indonesia and Bangladesh can afford a mobile phone?

Foreign tourists may still need public phone, as roaming charges for mobile phone remain high. However, the public phone booths I saw weren’t located in tourist areas.

I am still not convinced that public phone is a viable business…