Public call office
Encyclopedia
A Public call office is a telephone facility located in a public place in India
and Pakistan
. It is also another name in the United Kingdom
for a public telephone
box (postal addresses for these kiosks sometimes include "PCO").
, manned and automated (coin operated payphone
) versions of the service are in existence. BSNL, a public sector
corporation, has the largest installation of PCOs in India. Mr. R. L. Dube, a BSNL officer introduced concept of PCO's in India. As of 2006 there are about 4,199,157 PCOs operating in India, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI).
Private sector
corporations such as Reliance Infocomm, Tata Indicom
, Hutch
, Idea
and Airtel are prepaid PCO providers and have a moderate number of PCOs in the public landscape.
There are two types of landline and wireless. There are Landlline PCO and Wireless PCO uses 2 kinds of technology- CDMA and GSM. Reliance and Tata Indicom are CDMA based prepaid PCO connection provider and Airtel, Idea
and Hutch
are GSM based prepaid PCO connection providers. Dursanchar government under take to private C-DOT
, ITI
, MTNL, BSNL and Airtel provide fixed landline postpaid PCO connections. MTNL is also planning to come in to prepaid PCO business the kind taking the trend.
, PCOs are provided by Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), Dancom
, Worldcall, and Telecard, amongst others. These companies usually provide calling-card-based domestic and international telecom services.
(Credit Card Operated),
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is also another name in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for a public telephone
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
box (postal addresses for these kiosks sometimes include "PCO").
PCO in India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, manned and automated (coin operated payphone
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
) versions of the service are in existence. BSNL, a public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
corporation, has the largest installation of PCOs in India. Mr. R. L. Dube, a BSNL officer introduced concept of PCO's in India. As of 2006 there are about 4,199,157 PCOs operating in India, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
TRAI
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India. -History:...
(TRAI).
Private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
corporations such as Reliance Infocomm, Tata Indicom
Tata Indicom
Tata Teleservices Limited is a Indian broadband and telecommunications provider based in Mumbai, India. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate...
, Hutch
Hutch
-People:* Ken Hutcherson, former National Football League linebacker, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington* Leslie Hutchinson, a popular singer of the 1930s known as 'Hutch'* Jesse Hutch, actor...
, Idea
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
and Airtel are prepaid PCO providers and have a moderate number of PCOs in the public landscape.
There are two types of landline and wireless. There are Landlline PCO and Wireless PCO uses 2 kinds of technology- CDMA and GSM. Reliance and Tata Indicom are CDMA based prepaid PCO connection provider and Airtel, Idea
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
and Hutch
Hutch
-People:* Ken Hutcherson, former National Football League linebacker, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington* Leslie Hutchinson, a popular singer of the 1930s known as 'Hutch'* Jesse Hutch, actor...
are GSM based prepaid PCO connection providers. Dursanchar government under take to private C-DOT
C-DOT
The Centre for Development of Telematics is an Indian Government owned Telecom Technology development Centre,. It was established in 1984 with initial mandate of designing and developing digital exchanges. Today, C-DOT has expanded itself in the area of Telecom. C-DOT is now a Next Generation...
, ITI
Indian Telephone Industries Limited
Indian Telephone Industries Limited is a state-owned manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in India. It was founded in 1948, and today has six manufacturing facilities which produce a range of...
, MTNL, BSNL and Airtel provide fixed landline postpaid PCO connections. MTNL is also planning to come in to prepaid PCO business the kind taking the trend.
PCO in Pakistan
In PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, PCOs are provided by Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTCL), Dancom
DANCOM
Dancom is a provider of telecommunications services in Pakistan, including DSL, WiMAX, Pay Phone, Calling Card, LDI, ISDN, Dial-up, Domain Hosting and VPN....
, Worldcall, and Telecard, amongst others. These companies usually provide calling-card-based domestic and international telecom services.
PCO in USA
In USA, manned and automated (coin operated payphone) versions of the service are in existence Verizon, SBC TelecomSBC Telecom
SBC Telecom, Inc. is a CLEC owned by AT&T that offers local telephone service outside the AT&T Bell Operating Company regions...
(Credit Card Operated),