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Payphone Story – illustrated international encyclopaedia of payphones

Hungarian Payphone- Blue Telkor coin payphone

Hungary’s blue Telkor coin payphones came from a South African manufacturer later associated with Marconi. Distributed locally by Transelektro, they dominated Hungary’s coin-payphone market. Their robust cabinets housed electronic displays, metal keypads and secure cash compartments. Resemblance to Danish GNT equipment is striking, although a licensing connection remains unconfirmed.

Name	Blue Telkor coin payphone
Date	c. 1995
Manufacturer	Telkor and then Marconi (possible GNT influence)
Linl	As used in South Africa

Blue Telkor coin payphone

Hungary’s blue Telkor coin payphone became a familiar feature of streets, railway stations and public places during the 1990s. Its metal cabinet, stainless-steel fascia, electronic display, projecting keypad and armoured handset cord were designed for intensive public use. A locked compartment protected the collected coins.

Telkor originated in South Africa. David Kaplan’s 1996 study identifies it as a Reunert company whose public-payphone operation became part of Telephone Manufacturers of South Africa. Its phones combined licensed technology with substantial South African product development. Exports, particularly to Eastern Europe, increased from 5.7 percent of company sales in 1991 to more than 40 percent in 1993.

In Hungary, Transelektro distributed the equipment. A 2002 Hungarian competition-authority decision describes the Telkor machines as manufactured by Marconi and records Transelektro’s exclusive distribution agreement from 1997. At that time, Telkor represented approximately 90 percent of Hungary’s coin-payphone market.

Although the cabinet resembles Danish GN Telematic equipment, a specific GNT licensing relationship remains unconfirmed. The Hungarian version belongs to the South African Telkor manufacturing tradition, subsequently associated with Marconi. Later machines accepted euros alongside forints, following T-Com’s nationwide introduction of euro coin payments in July 2006. Surviving examples retain both Matáv identification and later Magyar Telekom branding.