Pay phones still pulling in the coins

Given the rise in cellphones and other wireless devices, one might guess that those old wired-down pay phones will soon become as obsolete as a drive-in movie theater.

Well, guess again.

While a staggering 61 percent of American households own cellphones, consumers will still place an estimated 16.6 billion calls this year on the more than 2 million pay phones that dot America's landscape.

The American Public Communications Council in Fairfax, Va., says pay phones are still very much needed, given that 5.7 million people in the US have no residential phone service.

PayphonesUSA.net, a supplier of pay phones and accessories, says outdoor locations take in $200 to $400 per month. Pay phones in convenience stores average about $150 to $300 a month, while those in restaurants make $75 to $250 a month.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society