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The last 30,000 telephones for public use, popularly known as pay phones, already have a date set for retirement: the end of 2028.
Launched in 1972 throughout Brazil, the pay phones have a national design, designed by architect Chu Ming Silveira, a Chinese based in the country.
The network, which already had more than 1.5 million terminals, was maintained by fixed-line telephone concessionaires, as an obligatory consideration for the service.
Concessions end in 2025
The concession contracts that included the maintenance of pay phones were signed in 1998 and came to an end in December 2025.
Adaptation of these contracts, in the format of service authorizations, foresees the gradual extinction of public telephones within the plan to universalize telephone access in the country.
According to Anatel, with the expiration of the contracts approaching, “a broader discussion on the current concession model has become opportune, with the aim of seeking to stimulate investments in broadband support networks”.
In this scenario, the concessionaires sought to conclude agreements with the public administration to enable the adaptation of the fixed telephone system concession (STFC) to the authorization modality, governed by the private regime, informed the Agency.
The regime change had an additional factor of complexity: one of the largest concessionaires, Oi, has been going through a financial crisis since 2016, with bankruptcy proceedings open.
Payphones in operation
In practice, around 9,000 public-use phones will remain active in cities where there is not at least a 4G signal for the mobile network. Today, most TUPs are in the state of São Paulo, and their location can be found on the Anatel website.
“The companies made commitments to maintain the provision of telecommunications services with voice functionality (including payphones), on a private basis, through any technologies, in locations where the companies are the only providers present, until the maximum deadline of December 31, 2028”, explained Anatel.
The regulatory agency added that the companies also committed to making investments in telecommunications infrastructure in the country, such as: implementing fiber optics in locations without such infrastructure, cell phone antennas (at least 4G technology) in locations without such infrastructure, expansion of the cell phone network in municipalities, deployment of submarine and river cables, connectivity in public schools and construction of data centers.
The base that is best adapted is that of Oi, which has 6,707 units. Vivo, Algar and Claro/Telefônica will disconnect their networks this year, leaving around 2 thousand payphones operated by them.
The other 500 TUPs are from the company Sercomtel, in the municipalities of Londrina and Tamarana, in Paraná, and can only be removed after the necessary adaptation.
There are also payphones in the country whose maintenance by operators is not mandatory. Their termination can be requested directly from them, and if they do not respond to Anatel, through the call center (1331) or on the agency’s internet portal.
*Brazil Agency
