| Name | Teléfono público TRM 100 |
| Date | late 1980s. Used in supervised locations. |
| Manufacturer | Alcatel (France) for Telefónica Very cute phone. |
Development of the Teléfono público TRM 100
| The Alcatel TRM 100 was one of the early electronic coin-operated public telephones introduced in Spain during the late 1980s as Telefónica liberalised and modernised its public telephone network. Manufactured by Alcatel around 1987, the TRM 100 was designed primarily for enclosed public locations such as cafés, bars, hotels, railway stations and other supervised premises rather than exposed street kiosks. Its compact wedge-shaped design, bright moulded casing and push-button keypad gave it a distinctly modern appearance compared with the heavy electromechanical public telephones used in booths. The telephone accepted 5, 25 and 100 peseta coins through an electronically controlled validation system which selected, checked and stored coins before registering call credit. The electronic display informed users about available credit and call status. Internally, the TRM system was divided into two major components: the telephone unit itself and a separate central control unit installed on the telephone line. This central unit could supervise two telephones simultaneously and managed tariff programming, call metering, alarm functions and the accounting of collected coins. Most TRM 100 telephones were produced in Telefónica’s standard green colour, making the surviving red example particularly unusual. Constructed from impact-resistant plastic, the TRM 100 reflected the transition from mechanical payphones to computer-controlled public telephony systems that later evolved into smartcard and digital payphones across Spain and international markets. |
Above- Teléfono público TRM (coin operated)
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