Chetumal, Q, R. — Pay phones, a once staple of public spaces, have been removed from Chetumal city streets. At the start of the week, municipal officials began disassembling the old public phone boxes.
The removal of the phones was made in an agreement between the Othón P. Blanco City Council and Telmex. The obsolete pay phones were found to be aging and in poor condition as well as not used.
On Monday, the city began removing more than 600 pay phones and booths from Chetumal streets. City Councilor Francisco Ortega Lizárraga said not only did the pay phones give the city a bad image, they also obstruct pedestrian crossings.
Not all the pay phones are being handed back to Telmex though. He said some that are still being used in busy areas such as malls will be revamped, while others will be reinstalled in rural areas around hospitals and schools and also in areas where there are known cell phone dead zones.
