This came across my feeds a couple days ago. BT – formerly known at British Telecom – wants to phase out the ubiquitous red phone boxes. While from a business perspective, it makes sense (who actually uses them anyway?), from a cultural perspective, it’s a tragedy.

Can you think of a bigger British Icon known all around the world that when you see it, you think Britain? Other than the Queen?

Well, my favorite county, Dorset, is going to fight a battle to keep their red phone boxes.

From a recent article on the BBC:

A proposal by BT to remove the telephone equipment from 85 pay phones in West Dorset is likely to be opposed by the district council.

It is concerned that people in areas with poor mobile phone signals would be unable to contact help in an emergency.

BT has written to parish and town councils in West Dorset to ask them to consider ‘adopting’ their local phone box for £1, with the phone removed.

BT is looking at decommissioning hundreds of phone boxes across the country as it says the rise in popularity of mobile phones means some pay phones are no longer profitable or very well used.

I applaud the West Dorset District council for standing up to BT and trying to keep an iconic British design icon, where it belongs – still in use.

Author Info -  Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author

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