BPO CT705-Coin Telephone No. 705

The CT No. 705 was a British Pay-on-Answer (POA) public payphone developed by Associated Automation, a division of Elliott Automation, and introduced around 1959 and became standard in General Post Office (GPO) red telephone kiosks

NameCoin Telephone No. 705
Date1960-1980s
ManufacturerAssociated Automation
Similar models were used in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. See APO- Coin Telephone 1 CT1
Usagered telephone kiosks—particularly K6 and K8 types
NoteStrangely enough this is very similar to the French Type 700 Interurbain (but there is no evidence of any design co-operation).

Development of the CT No. 705

The CT No. 705 was a British Pay-on-Answer (POA) public payphone developed by Associated Automation, a division of Elliott Automation, and introduced around 1959–1960. It was first trialled in the Bristol area during the UK’s rollout of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD), which allowed direct long-distance dialling without operator assistance. Designed with a heavy-duty armoured case and tamper-resistant features, the 705 replaced earlier post-pay models like the Coin Box No. 1 and the Button A/B system, where coins were inserted before dialling and manually released with a button press. The 705 became standard in General Post Office (GPO) red telephone kiosks—particularly K6 and K8 types—across the UK during the 1960s and 70s. Though primarily used in Britain, small numbers were exported to British territories and Commonwealth countries, often alongside kiosk installations. It remained in service until the 1980s, when it was phased out in favour of digital Smartcard and Cashcard payphones that offered improved functionality and reduced maintenance.
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3 responses to “BPO CT705-Coin Telephone No. 705”

  1. […] Associated Automation, UK and Japan.Similar to the British Coin Telephone No. 705 […]

  2. […] Associated Automation, UK and Japan.Similar to the British Coin Telephone No. 705 […]

  3. […] calls.It looks like it is based on a Hall mechanism and bears a very strong resemblance to the BPO 700 series.Similarities-Multi-coin acceptance (3 denominations) → very Hall-like architectureExchange-driven […]

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