Telstra payphones are now free to use

Kate Reynolds - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 03 August 2021

Telstra payphones are now free for Australians to use right across the country for national calls and texts.

While they may be associated with the prank calls of our youth or fumbling around the bottom of your bag as you search for loose change, Telstra said that payphones are still very much in use, with about 11 million calls made across Australia in the past year alone. That's around 37.6 million minutes of talking on the humble payphone.

The decision has come as the telco revealed that more than 230,000 of those calls were to critical services like Triple 0 and Lifeline, providing a crucial service for some of the country’s most vulnerable, in particular those in regional and remote areas.

And if the last 18 months has taught is anything, it's that communities need to stay connected in times of natural disasters, especially when mobile networks can be disrupted and damaged.

"[Payphones] are an iconic and critical part of our community, and for many Australians, the availability of a payphone is a vital lifeline, especially for those who are vulnerable including the homeless, people who are isolated or someone escaping an unsafe situation," said Telstra CEO Andrew Penn.

"That’s why I have taken this decision to make national calls from payphones free, because they play such a critical role in our community, particularly in times of need and for those in need.”

In particular, Penn said, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns had re-iterated the need for easy and accessible communication.

“During COVID-related lockdowns, we’ve seen domestic and family violence agencies report a 60 per cent rise in new clients seeking help for the first time, and an increase in abusive behaviours overall. It’s not always easy for people in these situations to use a home phone or their mobile to get help."

As of today, standard national calls and SMS from all of Telstra's 15,000+ payphones will be free, however international and calls to premium and satellite numbers will still incur a cost. Telstra payphones can also be used to access Telstra Air, the telco's nation-wide network of WiFi hotspots.