| Name | Rotary Coin Payphone (Type 102/104 Series and W-Series) |
| Date | 1960s |
| Manufacturer | Tongya Telecommunication Industry Co. Ltd. (東亞通信工業). Founded in 1969 as a joint venture with Japan’s Tamura Electric |
Development of the Taiwan Rotary Coin Payphone (Type 102/104 Series and W-Series)
The 102 and 104 Series were among Taiwan’s most recognisable rotary-dial public telephones, serving as the backbone of the nation’s public telephone network throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Developed for the Directorate General of Telecommunications (DGT), the Model 104 entered service in 1973, initially providing local and operator-assisted long-distance calling in the Taipei area. It featured separate NT$1 and NT$5 coin slots, a robust mechanical coin validator and a secure internal cash box, making it reliable under heavy public use.
The telephone’s pressed-steel cabinet, finished in bright red, became an icon of Taiwanese streetscapes. A heavy rotary dial generated pulse signals for the automatic exchange, while the side-mounted handset, protected by an armoured cord, was designed to withstand constant use and vandalism. These telephones were installed in roadside kiosks, railway stations, post offices, government buildings and shops, becoming a familiar part of everyday life during Taiwan’s period of rapid economic growth.
Although many examples bear only DGT markings, the available evidence strongly suggests they were manufactured by Tongya Telecommunication Industry Co. Ltd. (東亞通信工業). Founded in 1969 as a joint venture with Japan’s Tamura Electric, Tongya states that it produced Taiwan’s first coin-operated payphone in 1970 and went on to install more than 300,000 public telephones worldwide. This history, together with the close resemblance between the 102/104 Series and contemporary Japanese Tamura public telephones, makes Tongya the most likely manufacturer, although definitive factory documentation for the 102/104 models has yet to be located.
The 102 and 104 Series were progressively superseded during the late 1980s by electronic models such as the TT-630, but today they remain enduring symbols of Taiwan’s telecommunications heritage.
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