Landis & Gyr Communications has demonstrated the first Internet Payphone, based on Internet Communications Protocol. The new Internet Payphone will offer low-cost long distance telephone calls, a superior Internet telephone sound quality, and faster, more efficient access to information and messaging services.

Geneva, Switzerland, January 1999 - Landis & Gyr Communications, leading supplier of smart solutions for managing secured financial transactions and accessing telecom services, has expanded its innovative solutions and developed the first Internet Payphone, deploying Internet protocoles. The new payphones offer lower-cost national and international long distance calls and have a superior sound quality than most mobile phone systems.

Internet protocole technology also presents a major innovative opportunity for operators to introduce value-added services on public terminals. For example, advertising can be downloaded into the payphone and customised according to the profile stored on the user’s calling card. The Internet Payphones can offer better and faster access to information: faults, usage statistics, service requests or software upgrades can take place on a single telephone line, even while a call is taking place. And, other messaging services such as e-mail can be displayed on the terminal screen of an Internet Payphone. Designed to be user-friendly, the Internet Payphones allow users to simply and quickly choose regular telephony or Internet telephony after they have selected the number to call. Once the user has chosen, the payphone does the rest.

Designing the new Internet Payphones represents Landis & Gyr Communications’ commitment to developing innovative solutions for the future and maintaining their leadership position in supplying public access terminals worldwide.

Landis & Gyr Communications is recognised as the world’s preferred payphone supplier, with over 3 million public and private payphones installed in more than 70 countries. Landis & Gyr Communications is also one of the leading manufacturers of chipcards in many application areas and a principal member of the Global Chipcard Alliance (GCA). Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Landis & Gyr Communications employs about 1’500 people worldwide.