News

AT&T installs Internet access kiosk/payphone

March 27, 2002

NEW YORK - Airport travelers will have another means of getting online while getting on the phone. AT&T has rolled out its new AT&T Public Phone 2000i, a combination public Internet access kiosk and payphone.

The AT&T Public Phone 2000i combines simultaneous, high-speed connectivity to the Internet and other online services such as e-mail, with voice calling. It costs 25 cents per minute to use the kiosk/payphones, with a four-minute minimum.

The PP2000i unit was jointly developed by AT&T, NCR Corp. and NetNearU. NCR, an ATM and kiosk manufacturer, developed the kiosk's hardware. Based on the NCR Web Kiosk platform, the product contains a 12-inch touchscreen and payment module that accepts credit cards or cash.

The unit incorporates user interface and system monitoring software from NetNearU, a provider of software designed for the public Internet access market. NetNearU's software can provide usage-related data, including transaction logging and revenue information. NetNearU's software also supports remote monitoring of each kiosk, providing operability information and initiating alerts if a unit needs service.

According to an AT&T news release, revenue from the Public Phone 2000i would also come from sales of advertising space on the unit's full-motion video screens.

Installation of about 25 phones is complete at Atlanta-Hartsfield, Dallas-Fort Worth and JFK International Airports. Additional installations are scheduled for Phoenix, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Newark, N.J.

According to an AT&T news release, experts forecast the market for public Internet access terminals and limited functionality Web payphones will grow to more than $1 billion worldwide by 2005.