BellSouth pay phone with call collect cards
"Press Blue To Get Through." This phone had two blue keys, the 1 and # to be used when making long distance calls.
Press Blue to Get Through
BellSouth’s colorful #1 long distance payphone service was short lived
By Mark Mathosian
In late 1998 BellSouth introduced a single slot payphone with two keys colored “BellSouth blue.” Those keys, 1 and #, were used for a new competitively priced long distance speed-dial service competing with AT&T’s popular 1 800 CALL ATT. This new easy-to-use long distance calling service was promoted under the catch phrase Press Blue to Get Through.
When callers dialed the blue # and 1 keys in sequence, they reached an automated voice menu with an interactive voice available in English and Spanish. The caller was then prompted through long distance dialing options including operator assistance and national directory assistance. Calls could be billed collect, charged to a BellSouth's calling card, or to a variety of popular credit cards including Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Both domestic and international calls were available.
According to BellSouth representatives the plan was to expand the BellSouth #1 service throughout its nine-state Southeast region. Locations for payphones with blue keys included business centers, airports, truck stops, convenience stores, shopping malls, college campuses, community centers, tourist venues and other places with a high demand for long distance calls.
Interestingly, Press Blue To Get Through was introduced just a few years before BellSouth’s 2001 announcement that they were exiting the payphone business entirely. That’s probably why today you don’t often see BellSouth payphones with blue keys for sale. These enhanced payphones came on the scene late faded into history as payphones gave way to wireless cell phones.
The Fortress payphone with blue keys I purchased on eBay in 2012 appearently sat on a shelf in a BellSouth warehouse n Birmingham, Alabama, for quite some time. The seller, who purchased many surplus payphones, was not even sure if the phone was new or used or ever placed in service. It simply looked that good. However, upon close inspection, I found a few scratches on the outside of the coin return. It lead me to believe the phone was likely a moderately used model 1D2 with a new pad and blue keys installed just before BellSouth discontinued payphones. Being unfamiliar with the Press Blue to Get Through program I decided to do some online research.
I googled the internet and found just a few obscure references about the payphones and BellSouth’s long distance Press Blue long distance service. The only photo I found of a BellSouth telephone with blue keys was my own. If you own one I would love to see it.
A short fact-filled article about these payphones and the program can be read at freelibary.com. The story is dated October 1, 1998, and was based on press release/marketing information from BellSouth. Research revealed that by the time the article was written at least three BellSouth location providers had already adopted the service with payphones converted in the Nashville, Charlotte and Louisville airports. Supposedly by the time the article was published a few hundred phones were modified with the blue keys. Here is a direct link:
www.thefreelibrary.com/BELLSOUTH+LAUNCHES+SPEED-DIAL+FOR+....
BellSouth pay phone with call collect cards
"Press Blue To Get Through." This phone had two blue keys, the 1 and # to be used when making long distance calls.
Press Blue to Get Through
BellSouth’s colorful #1 long distance payphone service was short lived
By Mark Mathosian
In late 1998 BellSouth introduced a single slot payphone with two keys colored “BellSouth blue.” Those keys, 1 and #, were used for a new competitively priced long distance speed-dial service competing with AT&T’s popular 1 800 CALL ATT. This new easy-to-use long distance calling service was promoted under the catch phrase Press Blue to Get Through.
When callers dialed the blue # and 1 keys in sequence, they reached an automated voice menu with an interactive voice available in English and Spanish. The caller was then prompted through long distance dialing options including operator assistance and national directory assistance. Calls could be billed collect, charged to a BellSouth's calling card, or to a variety of popular credit cards including Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Both domestic and international calls were available.
According to BellSouth representatives the plan was to expand the BellSouth #1 service throughout its nine-state Southeast region. Locations for payphones with blue keys included business centers, airports, truck stops, convenience stores, shopping malls, college campuses, community centers, tourist venues and other places with a high demand for long distance calls.
Interestingly, Press Blue To Get Through was introduced just a few years before BellSouth’s 2001 announcement that they were exiting the payphone business entirely. That’s probably why today you don’t often see BellSouth payphones with blue keys for sale. These enhanced payphones came on the scene late faded into history as payphones gave way to wireless cell phones.
The Fortress payphone with blue keys I purchased on eBay in 2012 appearently sat on a shelf in a BellSouth warehouse n Birmingham, Alabama, for quite some time. The seller, who purchased many surplus payphones, was not even sure if the phone was new or used or ever placed in service. It simply looked that good. However, upon close inspection, I found a few scratches on the outside of the coin return. It lead me to believe the phone was likely a moderately used model 1D2 with a new pad and blue keys installed just before BellSouth discontinued payphones. Being unfamiliar with the Press Blue to Get Through program I decided to do some online research.
I googled the internet and found just a few obscure references about the payphones and BellSouth’s long distance Press Blue long distance service. The only photo I found of a BellSouth telephone with blue keys was my own. If you own one I would love to see it.
A short fact-filled article about these payphones and the program can be read at freelibary.com. The story is dated October 1, 1998, and was based on press release/marketing information from BellSouth. Research revealed that by the time the article was written at least three BellSouth location providers had already adopted the service with payphones converted in the Nashville, Charlotte and Louisville airports. Supposedly by the time the article was published a few hundred phones were modified with the blue keys. Here is a direct link:
www.thefreelibrary.com/BELLSOUTH+LAUNCHES+SPEED-DIAL+FOR+....