Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Recycling Pay Phones into Terminals

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the not-a-bad-idea dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Two weeks ago, The Washington Post published a story about the death of the pay phone. It was aptly named "Requiem for the Pay Phone." Basically, it argued that as cell phones use increase, pay phones are retired from the streets. Now, according to Fortune in "Making Pay Phones Pay," Bell Canada is trying to change this situation. "Bell Canada recently started converting public pay phones in Toronto, Montreal, and Kingston into terminals for 'Wi-Fi' Internet connections. Some U.S. phone companies may soon follow suit." Check this column for more details and concerns or visit the Bell Canada's AccessZone page for details on the program and pilot locations."

4 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. How about 911? by Ryu2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I just thought of this.... Could it be a point of argument that removing pay phones reduces access to 911 emergency services for those economically disadvantaged who don't have cell phones? Have there been any studies done to test the validity of this (eg, crime rates vs. pay phone presence?)

    --
    There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
  2. Re:Money by kawaichan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    how payment might work:

    1) Your laptop/PDA/whatever requests an IP address via DHCP.
    2) Access point hands out IP address, makes a note against that IP address that "has not paid yet"
    3) At this point, all that you can do is access HTTP and DNS.
    4) You point your browser at any web site - let's say http://slashdot.org for grins.
    5) DNS succeeds.
    6) Your computer does an HTTP GET.
    7) Access device sees you've not paid yet. Sends HTTP REDIRECT to https://fork.it.over.to.me
    8) Your laptop looks that up. Gets an IP address.
    9) Your laptop requests page.
    10) Page comes up - input credit card here.
    11) You do so. Access device marks you has "paid for 1 Hour". Ports open up.
    12) You again try /., and it goes through.

    --

    kawai
  3. Just so we're all clear... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dupe 1 (orig)
    Dupe 2 (orig)
    Dupe 3 (orig).

    Ok? Check the originals for more comments, I don't think it'll fly unless it's outrageously cheap and can maybe be paid just by walking by with an RFID tag or something else equally effortless. Geesh.

  4. Maybe by Znonymous+Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe people like me would use the pay phone more if it were 10 cents per a call, not 50-75 cents like it is now. And maybe I would have a "land line" phone in my home if it weren't nearly $50 a month after taxes, FCC feens, 911 imposed fee, etc.

    Or, the monolpy phone companies can just coninue to loose money and customers to cell phones.

    [/rant]

    --

    Karma: The shiznight, mostly because I am the Drizzle.