| Name | Publiborne |
| Date | |
| Manufacturer | PTT / France Telecom |
Below- gallery of the Publiborne street kiosk
Below- the Catia street kiosk
Below- the Titan Inox and Titan Persiennes street kiosks
Below- the Tonnelle street kiosk
More info- https://www.publiphonie.fr/index.html
Development of the Publiborne and various light kiosks
| The French Publiborne was part of the late evolution of French public telephony, when France Télécom began moving away from the traditional enclosed “cabine téléphonique” toward more open, lightweight urban street furniture during the 1980s and 1990s. The word itself combines: “Publi” — from publiphone (public telephone) “Borne” — meaning a terminal, pillar, or public access point Unlike the classic enclosed French booths such as the La Parisienne or Type Paris glass cabins, the Publiborne was generally a more minimal structure. By the 1990s, France Télécom increasingly favoured open “publiphone” stations because enclosed cabins had become expensive to maintain and were vulnerable to broken glass and vandalism. France developed some of the most architecturally refined payphone structures in Europe, often using: stainless steel, aluminium, thick safety glass, integrated lighting, and elegant minimalist forms. The Publiborne belongs to this broader French design movement in which the payphone ceased being a “room” and became a piece of urban infrastructure or street furniture. This was very different from the heavy enclosed booths common in Britain, Australia, or the United States. Useful references: French public telephone history: Publiphonie.fr – French payphone history archive French telephone booth history overview: French Wikipedia – Cabine téléphonique Excellent technical/history page on French booth structures: Habitacles voie publique pour publiphones One interesting aspect of French payphone design is that France Télécom treated these kiosks almost as public architecture. Even relatively ordinary publiphones often had custom industrial design, coordinated colours, and carefully engineered glazing systems — reflecting the French tradition of high-quality urban mobilier urbain (street furniture). |
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