Nowadays making a phone call is very easy; people have smartphones that are portable and efficient. No one has to think twice, before sending a call or a text message. However, this was not the case a century ago. Before the invention of the first mobile phone in 1973 everyone relied mostly on phone booths to communicate from the outside world. But the question is: where are they now?

According to www.the-telephone-box.co.uk: “Before the development of the telephone in 1876 communication over any distance was often by telegraphy and wireless telegraphy… As telephone technology developed, an increasing number of services were set up in larger towns and cities across Britain… In 1921 Britain's first standard kiosk, the imaginatively named Kiosk No 1 (abbreviated to K1) was introduced. Its design was conservative and appeared somewhat old-fashioned.”

Nevertheless, the advancement of technology has resulted in there being no requirement for having these particular inventions on the streets. Therefore in 2017, BT was reported to be removing 20,000 telephone boxes from places where they are less likely to be used, due to the reason that they are very difficult to maintain. When interviewing few students and teachers about their knowledge of telephone phone boxes, many have stated: “it would be very unlikely that there will be any need for using a telephone box” as they are sure that their phones will be with them at all times.

One of the reasons behind people formerly using phone booths were due to the prices of sending text messages and calls being very high. Currently this is definitely not the case, as there are inexpensive contract schemes provided for mobile phone users. Moreover, some do not prefer to use phone booths due to their unpleasant conditions.

During an expedition around my local area I found a phone booth near a construction site. Even though it did not seem appealing, being covered with cobwebs and rust, surprisingly it was working.

According to www.bbc.co.uk: “In areas where telephone boxes are not being used, many local communities have transformed and preserved phone booths by buying them for £1 from BT under the Adopt a Kiosk scheme.”

Although they may not operate in the future as telephone boxes, there is still hope that they can be used for other purposes.