| Name | Type IPT701 Monétel |
| Date | 1995 |
| Manufacturer | Monétel (formerly operating as Crouzet) for France Télécom |
Development of the Type IPT701 Monétel
| The Monétel range of second-generation publiphones, approved by the PTT and later France Télécom, formed a key part of the 1992 modernisation of France’s prepaid public telephony network. Formerly operating as Crouzet, Monétel not only produced approved national models but also manufactured a wider range of card and coin-operated payphones for export markets, private operators, and locations such as hotels. Within the France Télécom-approved 2nd generation lineup, the IPT701 was the principal replacement for the earlier PC31P, entering service from April 1992. Weighing 10 kilograms and listed under nomenclature number 820-655 L, the IPT701 accepted Télécartes, France Télécom cards, and chip-based bank cards. It also featured a “Bis” redial function, aligning it with the improved usability standards of the period. Its simplified, more reliable design marked a clear evolution from the problematic first-generation machines. Alongside it, the IPT501 was introduced in 1992 as a specialised model designed primarily for international users. It accepted foreign magnetic stripe bank cards, making it particularly suitable for airports and tourist-heavy locations. However, it did not accept Télécartes or chip cards, limiting its compatibility within the French system. It also lacked a “Bis” function, making it unique among second-generation models. Weighing 10 kilograms and identified under nomenclature 899-310 C, the IPT501 had a relatively short service life and was replaced in 1995. Its successor, the IPT571, combined the capabilities of both the IPT701 and IPT501. Introduced from 1995, it accepted Télécartes, France Télécom cards, chip cards, and foreign magnetic stripe cards. With its broad payment compatibility and continued inclusion of the “Bis” function, the IPT571 became the most versatile Monétel publiphone, particularly suited to both domestic and international environments. |
| Monétel emerged from the telecommunications activities of Crouzet, a long-established French firm known for precision engineering and electromechanical equipment. During the 1980s, Crouzet was heavily involved in public telephony, producing coin and card payphones for the French PTT. As the market shifted toward prepaid card systems, this activity was reorganised under the Monétel name, which became closely associated with France Télécom’s publiphone programme in the late 1980s and 1990s. The main production facilities for these publiphones were located in Valence, where Crouzet operated a large factory. This site handled assembly of models such as the PC31P and later the IPT series (IPT701, IPT571), and was featured in PTT publications in the mid-1980s showing dedicated production lines for card payphones. Monétel itself was not a completely independent long-term company but rather a brand or division within a changing corporate structure. During the 1990s, Crouzet’s telecommunications and payment terminal activities were progressively absorbed into larger industrial groups as the European electronics sector consolidated. The Monétel name gradually disappeared as these activities were merged or rebranded. By the late 1990s to early 2000s, production of traditional publiphones in France had sharply declined due to the rise of mobile telephony. As a result, Monétel-branded activity effectively ceased during this period, with no clear standalone closure date. Instead, its operations were folded into successor entities, and manufacturing of public payphones in France largely ended in the early 2000s. |
| More info- https://www.publiphonie.fr/ |
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