| Name | China Unicom (中国联通) |
| Date | 2000s |
| Manufacturer | Various domestic |
Above- Silver public telephone with a large display, menu keys and a round card-entry assembly. The keypad bears the mark of Routon (精伦电子), a Wuhan electronics manufacturer. A Visa sticker is visible on the indoor example. The model number is unconfirmed.
The most interesting detail in these photos is the silver phone with two generations of branding. The phone carries China Unicom’s red knot logo, while the sign above it still names China Netcom’s Beijing branch, gives its 10060 customer-service number and displays the Beijing 2008 Olympic emblem. China Netcom was the Games’ communications partner. The combination is consistent with a Netcom installation rebranded after the merger. Your indoor photo also shows two similar terminals side by side, one with each operator’s badge.
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Ricoh GR
Above- Yellow and light-coloured examples with a similar layout, including a display, function keys and a card slot at the bottom. The yellow phone is shown in an open-sided street shelter with a red canopy near Yuting Bridge, Beijing. The maker and model are unconfirmed.
Above- Blue SS-7600, labelled 卡式无线话机, meaning “card-operated wireless telephone”. It has a stub antenna, a mains plug, an IP dialling key and Unicom’s 10010 service number. The label identifies the type of terminal, while the radio standard and manufacturer remain unverified.
Unicom payphones
China Unicom (中国联通) is a state-owned telecommunications operator established in 1994 to introduce competition into China’s telecom market. It began as a challenger to the incumbent and expanded its fixed-line business through the October 2008 merger with China Netcom (CNC), whose network covered Beijing and much of northern China. sec.gov
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