| Name | Urmet CTP-I Payphone The “Egg” |
| Date | 2000 |
| Manufacturer | Urmet for Telecom Italia. Stainless steel housing. Classic example of late-1990s blob design. |
| Polish Urmet CTP-I Payphone Swedish Telia Egg |
Above- wall mounted DIGITO Italian payphones in the perspex kiosks
Development of the Urmet CTP-I Payphone
The Urmet CTP-I belongs to a long family of electronic public telephones developed by Urmet, the Turin-based Italian telecommunications manufacturer. Urmet was founded in 1937 and its name originally derived from Utilizzazione e Recupero Materiale Elettro-Telefonico. Although now best known for intercom and building communication systems, Urmet became an important manufacturer of public telephones and associated management systems.
Urmet’s public-telephone development stretched back decades. By the 1980s it was producing electronic payphones for local and long-distance calling and became involved with prepaid magnetic-card telephone systems. During the 1990s its range included models such as the TPE200, TPC200, Team, Plurima, Optima, Club and Digito. These machines represent important predecessors to the later, more sculptural CTP-I generation.
The CTP-I is particularly distinctive for its large rounded, vandal-resistant metal body, LCD display, electronic keypad and integrated payment/card equipment. The examples photographed show that the basic Urmet design could be configured for different national networks rather than being a telephone created specifically for one operator.
Urmet was a substantial exporter of public telephones. Documented markets for its equipment include Italy, Spain, Austria, Poland, Thailand, Cuba, Colombia, Bolivia and Egypt. Urmet also established public-telephone operations in Latin America, including Telepublico in El Salvador and Urmet Bolivia, while Urmet TLC España operated approximately 2,000 public telephone sites in Spain.
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