pay phone story

Payphone Story – Global History of Payphones and Phone Booths

Swedish Payphone- Telia Urmet CTP-I “Egg”

The Italian-made Urmet CTP-I, nicknamed the “Egg”, was used by Sweden’s Telia during the 2000s. Its vandal-resistant stainless-steel body contained an LCD display, electronic keypad and facilities for Swedish coins and Telia cards. Usually finished in red and yellow, it marked the final generation of Swedish public payphones.

Name	Telia Urmet CTP-I “Egg”
Date	1990s One of my favourites!
Manufacturer	Schlumberger, France
Links	Italian Urmet CTP-I Payphone The “Egg” Polish Urmet CTP-I Payphone

Telia Urmet CTP-I “Egg”

The Urmet CTP-I was introduced into Sweden’s Telia public-telephone network around the beginning of the 2000s. Manufactured by Urmet of Turin, Italy, it was a Swedish version of the distinctive electronic payphone commonly nicknamed the “Egg” because of its rounded stainless-steel casing. Urmet, founded in 1937, had experience producing coin and card telephones and exported its equipment to numerous European and international markets.

The Swedish model combined coin and prepaid-card operation. Instructions identify it as a “Mynt/Korttelefon”, accepting Swedish 1, 5 and 10 kronor coins, while the yellow slot accommodated Telia telephone cards. Its LCD screen displayed call and payment information, and function buttons supported services such as redialling and language selection. The heavy handset, armoured cord, metal body and secure coin compartment were intended to withstand intensive public use and vandalism.

Telia installed the CTP-I both indoors and outdoors, including in railway stations, public buildings and glass telephone shelters. Most examples were finished in bright red with yellow details, although a purple-fronted version also existed. The CTP-I represented the final generation of Swedish coin-operated public telephones, introduced when mobile-phone ownership was already rapidly reducing demand. Its futuristic, late-1990s “blob” styling made it unlike Sweden’s earlier functionalist Televerket payphones.