| Name | Contour 50, 100, 200, 300 |
| Date | early 2000s |
| Manufacturer | Marconi Interactive Systems for BT |
| Usage | Payphone used in supervised locations. |
Development of BT Contour Payphones
| BT Contour Payphones Contour 50 The Contour 50 was a compact, wall- or desk-mounted coin-operated payphone introduced by British Telecom in the early 2000s. Manufactured by Marconi Interactive Systems, it was designed for private and semi-public settings such as pubs, hostels, offices, and communal buildings. The phone accepted 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins, with a cashbox capacity of around £45. It featured a digital display that provided real-time information about call charges and duration. Compatible with tone and pulse dialing as well as PABX systems, the Contour 50 included programmable call barring, allowing owners to restrict certain numbers or call types. It also offered an owner mode for outgoing calls without coin insertion, volume control, last number redial, and quick-dial memory buttons. Built with a secure lock system and internal audit tracking, it was a practical and secure solution for small-scale use. Contour 100 The BT Contour 100 is a compact, wall- or desk-mounted coin-operated payphone introduced by British Telecom in the early 2000s. Manufactured by Marconi Interactive Systems, it was designed for private and semi-public settings such as pubs, hostels, offices, and communal buildings. The phone accepted 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins, with a cashbox capacity of around £45. It featured a digital display that provided real-time information about call charges and duration. Compatible with tone and pulse dialing as well as PABX systems, the Contour 100 included programmable call barring, allowing owners to restrict certain numbers or call types. It also offered an owner mode for outgoing calls without coin insertion, volume control, last number redial, and quick-dial memory buttons. Built with a secure lock system and internal audit tracking, it was a practical and secure solution for small-scale use. Contour 200 The BT Contour 200 is a wall-mounted, coin-operated payphone introduced by British Telecom in the early 2000s. Manufactured by Marconi Interactive Systems, it was designed for semi-supervised environments such as hotels, pubs, restaurants, and guesthouses. The payphone accepts 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins, with a cashbox capacity of approximately £45. It features a digital display providing real-time information on call charges and duration. The Contour 200 supports both tone and pulse dialing and is compatible with PABX systems. It offers programmable call barring, allowing restriction of specific numbers or call types, and includes an ‘owner mode’ enabling calls without coin insertion. Additional features include volume control, last number redial, and memory buttons for quick dialing. The unit is equipped with a high-security lock mechanism and an audit facility to track total cash collected. Contour 300 The BT Contour 300 was a coin-operated payphone introduced by British Telecom in the early 2000s and manufactured by Marconi Interactive Systems. It was designed for semi-supervised settings such as pubs, guesthouses, hotels, and small businesses, offering a flexible and user-friendly alternative to larger public payphones. The unit accepted 10p, 20p, 50p, and £1 coins, and featured a digital display that provided real-time information on call charges and duration. It included an inductive coupler for hearing aid users, adjustable volume controls, and four programmable memory buttons for frequently dialled numbers. Users could make consecutive calls using a “next call” function without reinserting coins, and the phone also featured last number redial. The Contour 300 had a secure cash compartment and internal audit functionality to track revenue. It supported tone and pulse dialing, PABX compatibility, and allowed remote updating of tariffs and call restrictions. |
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