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Polish Payphone- Telos AW-7 / AW-8

The Telos AW-7 and AW-8 were iconic Polish payphones of the 1980s and early 1990s. Introduced in 1979, they collected payment only when calls connected. The later AW-8 added repeat charging, typically every three minutes. Usually grey or yellow, variants were also developed for Algeria and Ukraine.

Name	Telos AW-7 / AW-8
Date	1979 – 1989
Manufacturer	Telos of Kraków
Credit	For information and images on Polish payphones, special thanks to our friends at https://telesfor.org/

Telos AW-7 / AW-8 Polish Payphone

The Telos AW-7 and AW-8 were among Poland’s most recognisable public telephones of the communist era. Manufactured by Telkom-Telos, the AW-7 appeared in 1979 and remained in production until 1989, followed by the closely related AW-8 in 1990–91. Their large rectangular cases, rotary dials and simple pictorial instructions became a familiar sight across Poland.

Designed principally for local calls, the AW-7 improved on the earlier AW-65 by keeping the coin outside the mechanism until the called party answered. When the telephone exchange reversed the line polarity, a latch released and the coin was collected. An unsuccessful call therefore required no coin-return mechanism, reducing opportunities for theft and jamming.

The required payment changed with inflation, progressing from 1 złoty to 2 and 5 złoty coins, and eventually to the “A” telephone token from 1992. The original AW-7 allowed unlimited conversation after payment. The AW-8 introduced repeat charging, normally requiring another payment every three minutes.

AW-8s were commonly finished in distinctive yellow, while earlier AW-7s were generally grey, although many were subsequently repainted. Numerous specialised versions existed, including an AW-7/3 exported to Algeria and a proposed AW-8/R5 for Ukraine. Around 1995, Telkom-Telos even experimented with modernising surviving AW-7s with electronic keypads, but few were converted.