| Name | 490 PLUS |
| Date | c. 2000 |
| Manufacturer | The British payphone model 390+ was manufactured by GPT (GEC-Plessey Telecommunications). |
| Usage | Supervised club telephone. Sometimes white or blue. Identical model used widely in Australia as the Telstra Bluephone. |
Development of the BT-CT20-490 PLUS
| Payphone 390+ The Payphone 390+ was a British Telecom wall-mounted public payphone introduced in the mid-1990s, designed for high-traffic locations like hospitals, conference centers, and large businesses. Manufactured by Landis & Gyr, it was an enhanced version of the earlier Payphone 290, featuring improved security with a metal keypad, casing, and handset cord to resist vandalism. It accepted 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins and had a large cashbox capacity of up to £135. The phone came in Meter Pulsed and Self-Contained models, offering flexible tariff settings and compatibility with different billing systems. It included advanced features such as abbreviated dialing for up to 10 numbers, permanent emergency call access, operator and directory enquiries barring, next call facility, last number redial, and a display showing true credit balance. The Payphone 390+ was gradually phased out in the early 2000s as newer digital and card-operated payphones became standard. Payphone 490+ The Payphone 490+ was introduced by British Telecom in 1992 as a wall-mounted public payphone that accepted both coins and credit cards. Manufactured by Landis & Gyr, it featured a card swipe mechanism compatible with BT Phonecards, Chargecards, and major credit cards, alongside accepting 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins, with unused coins returned to the user. The phone had a digital display showing remaining call balance and included memory functions such as a 10-number speed dial and last number redial. It was also equipped with a V.22 modem to allow for remote diagnostics and maintenance. The 490+ was housed in a robust casing, with the card reader integrated between the upper casing and the cash box. Widely deployed across public locations in the UK during the 1990s, it was gradually phased out in the early 2000s as BT moved toward newer digital and card-operated payphone technologies. |
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