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From: brendan@munnari.oz.au
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Payphones in Australia
Message-ID: <15349@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 11 Dec 90 23:16:20 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 876, Message 1 of 9


With the current discussion on various payphone systems around the
world, perhaps the system in Australia may be of interest.  Australia
still has a fairly regulated telecommunications environment with the
main carriers owned by the government, although there are plans to
introduce privately owned competing carriers.

However, this 'monopoly' enivronment has led to a high degree of
network uniformity, integrity, and standard service provision
throughout Australia, including both primary and basic rate ISDN,
EFTPOS provision, itemised billing, and provision of advanced digital
exchanges.

There are three main types of payphones in Australia with a fourth
(using pre-paid cards) to come.

COIN PAYPHONE (PUBLIC)
======================

The first type is the public coin operated type, familiar to all of
us, in boxes in the street.  Telecom Australia (the domestic carrier)
installs and maintains these creatures, which are really quite
advanced.

After a few years of increasing vandalism levels (especially in
Sydney) around 1986, the coin payphones were completely redesigned to
make them vandal proof.  The public payphones in Syndey are now made
of 243 Stainless Steel, with the coin box door milled out of a solid
plate, and is 30 mm thick.  The locking mechanism has an industrial
drill proof guard around it and has a failsafe chamber mechanism such
that any mechanism tampering results in an irreversible mechanical
lockout.

Since this redesign, sucessful coinbox theft in Sydney has decreased
from around 2000 per year to two per year.

Although the redesigned units cost around A$3000 to make, the coinbox
holds around A$300 and hence the payback period through preventing
theft is quite fast.

The first successful break in was achieved by a gang cutting out the
entire payphone unit from the phone box and taking it away on a truck.
The whole unit weighs around 80kg and so would require at least two
people to take it away.  The unit was dumped in a park and later
discovered (after break-in), and post analysis indicated it would have
taken at least two days for the gang to cut into the coin box using
diamond drills and industrial angle grinders.

Besides mechanical integrity, these coin payphones have operational
integrity.  Coin recognition is based on a three stage electronic
measurement of coin weight, size and appearance using advanced
processors.  Introduction of new coins (such as the A$2 coin) are no
problem as it simply requires a ROM change in the unit.

Advanced signalling between the payphone and the local exchange at all
times ensures that line misuse does not occur.  The line cannot be
tapped into and free calls made as the local exchange expects the
payphone to signal with its unique ID at all times.  If this
signalling is absent, calls are not able to proceed.

This signalling is also used to provide fault reporting and
operational and maintenance information.

COIN PAYPHONES (PRIVATE)
========================

Coin payphones may also be purchased by small businesses (shops etc)
for their premises and provide extra revenue for the shop owner by
customers making calls.

CREDIT PHONE
============

Introduced three years ago, this phone can accept a variety of
standard credit and debit cards for making telephone calls.  Cards
accepted include American Express, Mastercard, and cards from local
national banks (such as the Commonwealth, Westpac, NAB etc) plus state
banks and credit unions.

Due to Australia's advanced EFTPOS network (Australia has the highest
EFTPOS penetration in the world) these cards can be accepted by the
Credit Phone anywhere in Australia.  EFTPOS is currently accessed
through the X.25 packet switched network, with plans to use ISDN in
some areas.

Unlike the United States, savings accounts with electronic access can
usually be accessed anywhere in Australia through the bank's dedicated
Automatic Teller Machines or through machines that the institution has
a access agreement with.  Hence standardisation of card access for the
Credit Phone was no problem.

[ Australia's two major banks (Westpac and Commonwealth) each have
2500 Automatic Teller Machines throughout Australia.  The other major
banks, building societies and credit unions have thousands of ATMs
between them.  Also, most supermarkets, shops, petrol stations and
other institutions accept purchase payments via EFTPOS terminals at
the store, with funds directly transferred from your savings account
to theirs. ]

The Credit Phone is usually installed side by side with public
payphones in areas with high payphone usage, such as shopping malls,
post offices, airports, or other major sites.

The right hand side of the phone has the card reader plus keypad for
PIN entry (if required) and is directly connected to the X.25 network.
This unit is actually separate internally from the rest of the phone
(the phone has a separate keypad) to ensure integrity and security of
the card information.

Once the card is accepted, a call can be made, with funds directly
debited (for Debit Cards) or provided by credit on Credit Cards.  The
minimum charge for a call is A$1.20 (to offset the X.25 transaction
cost) but it is *not* a surcharge, ie if the call would normally cost
$2.50 then that's all you pay.


CARD PHONE
==========

Telecom Australia plans to introduce pre-paid card phones, similar to
those used in Europe and the UK.  You would buy a card from a
newsagent or shop with a pre-paid amount of call credit on it, then as
you make calls, this credit is deducted until there are no credits
left.

Due to the widespread use of EFTPOS, this type of phone has not been
seen as particularly urgent to introduce as people can use their
ordinary credit cards and debit cards with the Credit Phone, however
it is expected to fill a niche market.


Brendan Jones		ACSnet:  brendan@otc.otca.oz.au
R&D Contractor		  UUCP:  {uunet,mcvax}!otc.otca.oz.au!brendan
Services R&D		 Phone:  (02)2873128   Fax:  (02)2873299
|||| OTC ||	 	 Snail:  GPO Box 7000, Sydney  2001, AUSTRALIA