The UK’s iconic phoneboxes have long been under threat but new rules may be reviving them
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is implementing new regulations to keep rural phone boxes operating.
Phone boxes located within areas with poor mobile signals will be spared if they are needed by local communities.
The telecom company predicts that over 1,400 phone boxes are located in such areas which is lower than the initially estimated amount of 5,000.
Additional phone boxes may be spared for other reasons such as those in locations with frequent accidents or suicides and calls to lifeline services.
Other reasons may include areas not covered by all four mobile networks or if over 52 calls have been made from it within the past year.
One service, Childline received about 25,000 calls, and around 150,000 calls were made to emergency services in the year to May 2020.
Some areas have been offered the chance to purchase and repurpose the phone boxes for one pound.
Over 6,000 phone boxes have been sold so far turned into local libraries or even defibrillators.
