Today in history: Red phone box turns 75

News
By Tom Brewster
published

Soon to be a relic of the 20th Century, the classic red phone box is 75 today.

Payphone calls have dropped by more than 80 per cent in the last five years and 64 per cent of phone boxes actually lose money.

However, thanks to efforts from the Department of the Environment, English Heritage and BT, many red kiosks were saved.

Now, 11,000 remain. Yet the demise of the red phone box is imminent, soon to become a relic of British society in the 1900s. Payphone calls have dropped by more than 80 per cent in the last five years and 64 per cent of phone boxes actually lose money. BT, now the owner of the K6 design, said it will continue to cull the kiosks to match demand.

In its eagerness to protect British heritage, BT has been pushing parish councils to adopt local phone booths and safeguard them for removal as part of the Adopt a Kiosk scheme.

Nevertheless, in the coming years, it's likely the only place where one will find the archetypal British phone box will be in museums. But they will remain in IT Pro's heart forever. Happy 75th birthday K6!

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Tom Brewster
Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.