The Central Government has just forced Telefónica to maintain public phone boxes and phone directories for at least another year.

The reason that Telefónica, which is the ex-state, telephone company, has been lumbered with this is because the Government put the contract up for bidding but nobody came forward.

The Boletín Oficial de Estado (State Gazette) was published on Wednesday the 28th containing this obligation, running from the 1st of January 2017 to the 31st of December of the same year but with the possibility of this obligation being extended until the 31st of December 2018.

The Minister for Communications explained that whether this obligation continued into 2018 depended upon whether a new EU or state law appears that considers these services to no longer be a “universal service.” To hell with avoiding split infinitives!

The Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y de la Competencia (CNMC) recognizes that the use of phone cabins and telephone books is in “steep decline,” and that several other European states no longer forces telephone companies to provide them. In fact, the Código Europeo de las Comunicaciones no longer considers this obligation necessary.

For the above reason, the Central Government considers that the obligation to maintain these services might not see out the year and be terminated before.

Editorial comment: for the younger generation, public phone booths must seem as antiquated as manual switch boards in village sub-post offices, but for those of us that grew up with them, it will be a sad day when phone booths disappear.

(News: Spain)