The last phone booths have a secret

The few remaining public phone booths are hiding a bit of a secret, all calls within Switzerland are free.

There used to be over 3,500 booths in the country, but now there are 89. Most of them in Zurich.

They’re owned by a new company which makes money from them as a billboard, run under the name Telecab2000. But any Swiss calls from them are free. 

But the company says very few people make calls from them anymore.

Swisscom was required by law to maintain the phone booths – but it was relieved of that in 2016. 

There are none in French speaking areas, but if you find them in Zurich, Basel, Biel, Aarau and Sankt Gallen – you can use them to make a free Swiss call.

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