mentioned his luck to a colleague.

what? The other guard had found a match-

Guess
IT.nlV G~H m (~IP~
ing card from the same batch with a MISS-
Italy is famous, amongst other things, for
ING chip! The pictures show the two cards,'
being the first country to have introduced
with their reverses to illustrate the control
phone cards and also for being the most
numbers.
prolific issuer in Europe. Hundreds of mil-
lions of Urmet-type cards have been pro-
duced since the late 1970s. Now, however,
that is all to change.
The current magnetic cards are likely to
expire at the end of t 999, so something
had to be done. The solution? To convert to
This may look like an airline phone card, chip cards. The question is, how will
but it isn't. However, it represents the way Telecom ltalia cope with the job of replacing
that cards are going: users of remote-mem- the vast number of cards currently in circu-
ory cards require only a (preferably free- lation? Especially, as the story is that they
phone) access number and their personal plan to start issuing the chip cards in 20001
(or card) identification number and there is
no reason for these to be on a card. Aer
Lingus operates TAB, a club for its frequent
travellers, and each member is given a TAB
Parisians have long believed that it is possi-
(Travel Award Bonus) card to show, in order
to gain points, when booking a flight or
'I' T1t.eNewBT Plu»wcard ble to avoid paying parking fees by claiming
din
"'" • To use yoUr card In8ertIn \he that you haven't got the right change to put
buying a service. ..,. dlrectlon of the 8Ill)Il/, wIlI\tile gold
in the meter - because there is no legal
The airline was interested in providing

~.~ IIIJI
requirement to have the correct coins! And
club members with telephone facilities, but
the authorities have been going along with

-"",
..''''''
.,'-'."II"
without requiring them to carry an extra
piece of plastic. So, instead, they asked STill 1 this belief!
However, for some time, the old-style
I terglobe Telecommunications to come up
meters have gradually been replaced with
with a scheme that could be integrated with
those taking special chip cards. And you
other members' services.
can't get away with saying to the warden:
As a result, Interglobe produced a clear
"I couldn't pay as I've only got a phone
escriptive leaflet, leaving the TAB card to
card!"
do the rest. The service was launched in July
and provides members with standard tele-
How many collectors have got specimens
phone features, as well as operator call-
fro Myanmar in their collection? Not
back, speed dialling, fax, a modem connec-
ny. Now that may change. Urmet of Italy
tion and mUlti-lingu. l--assistance.
ave been supplying card phones to There is a new range of phone cards to
Myanmar Posts and mark the launch of the TCS (Technology
lmlN~T~~T~IN Telecommuni-cations, Control Services) UK collectors' club. Four

T:ft~f T~~ n~.n

IN as well as Italian
made cards to go in
- limited-edition
including
sets have been produced,
a collection to commemorate the
them. More tele- 1997 Hong Kong handover.
Who says that railway staff haven't got phones are to be The club, which is free to join, gives col-
interesting jobs? One of our readers is a ordered, but the lectors and other enthusiasts access to first-
guard on a rural line and one of his respon- Government has run cards. A quarterly bulletin, with infor-
sibilities is to sell BT phone cards (sounds stated that it mation about forthcoming issues, will be
like the perfect job, doesn't it?). Recently, would like the sent to members.
while flipping through his box of Alexander telephones to As well as the Hong Kong '97 set, there
Graham Bell cards, he spotted one with two is a set of Music Classics. These focus on the
accept the cards
chips and immediately bought it for his col- of other manu- imagery of classical musical instruments.
lection. During his break, our happy reader facturers as well. Another set, called Art Deco, depicts the

35
ITC November 1997
 while 'first issue' cards for company promo- been ordered for e twelve car parks and,
tions and incentives, which would other- although the maChines could take both coins
wise be difficult to find, will also be made and cards, no arrangements had yet been
available for members of the club. made for the cart! features to be activate€!.
The result? BT stepped in and offerecl its
services. While Clitheroe is a rural market
town and, therefore, slower to adopt new
ideas, sales of phone cards have increased
According to the Ordnance Survey, Britain's (perhaps the extra turnover means that new
offici ographers, a village in the Ribble designs are available earlier there than else-
Valle~ near C1itheroe, Lancashire, England is where?), BT has installed extra card phones,
the most central point in Great Britain. BT and people are using the cards to pay for
helped mark this important discovery by parking (any BT chip card works in the
placing its l00,OOOth public phone box machines). The experiment is due to end in
there: a box which sports a special plaque to November, and we wait to see what hap-
mar its fame. pens next.
ut this is ot the only cause of phone
fam for Cli er . It is also the site of BT's
drama and glamour of '30s architecture in Ribble alley ex~riment Lancastrian col-
the USA, while a set called Around the lectors will be ve familiar with tHis exper-
World features a montage of international- iment, which inv01ves 6T, 1:5 Ie Valley
ly-fa ous landmarks. One card from each Corporation and Sc luml5erger Industries.
th music and art deco sets is illustrated. In January, BT was Since the 1st October, Swiss Telecom m is
The cards are resented in a coloured looking for a site to no more! On that day, an exciting new card
wallet, with a ce 'ficate of authentification, test the idea of using issuer was born. Its name? Swisscom.
giving the batch number. Each set, which phone cards for car
sells for £ 17.50 (including postage) has four parks. Clitheroe had
cards: one at £5 and two at £2, as well as recently abandoned
one £ I card, Only 500 copies of each set its free parking pol-
are to be produced. Other collections are to icy and introduced
come out in the future. a 'pay and dis-
Recent TCS cards have included a set of play' system. For
four featuring the Benetton Formula I this, sixteen
Racing Team (see this month's World Schlumberger
News). 2,000 examples of each public TCS Parcomm One
card will be set aside for club members, machines had