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The Future of the Public Phone: Findings from a Six-Country Asian Study of Telecom Use at the BOP

Public phones, such as traditional payphone booths have been in use since the 19th century. However, with the emergence of mobile telephony, the demand for public phones has experienced a decline in recent years both in developed and developing markets. Growing telephone ownership, particularly mobile phone ownership has meant a declining role for public phones in connecting people. The paper draws on findings from two consecutive quantitative studies of 6,000-10,000 low-income telecom users in 2006 and 2008 in six emerging Asian countries, supplemented by qualitative research. Findings reveal a significant decline in public phone use since 2006, particularly in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the three countries which displayed the highest level of use in 2006. This decline has corresponded with an increase in phone ownership, particularly that of mobile. The likely welfare and policy implications arising from this emerging phenomenon for users, public phone providers and policymakers are explored.