a public phone where you can make calls that you pay for using coins, a credit card, or a phone card
Conditions in licences authorising the provision of payphones require the provision of free access from payphones to the emergency services.
In urban areas, payphones were once a common sight on street corners.
Users would insert coins into the payphone slot for a specified duration of call time.
Payphones provided a convenient means of communication before mobile phones became widespread.