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The Telephone on P. E. I. - Millenium Pay Phone
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Millenium Pay Phone - "The Power Within": This payphone is a common site today on the Island, and indeed in much of Canada and the U.S. Today, pay desksets for hotels and eMillenium Web payphones based on Millenium technology are also available from Quortech. |
This is a so-called BOCOT/COCOT- like "Smart Phone", featuring a digital instruction display, adjustable volume, options accepting credit and calling cards, coins of 5, 10, 25¢, and dollar. Originally developed by Northern Telecom (Nortel), and typical phones of the series carry the designation, NT5U411BA2011 R11. (number from a Millenium box one of my phones arrived in, not from the actual phone pictured). Loved by operating companies, and despised by phone phreaks (telephone hackers), the Millenium series are the most advanced payphones in the world.
The Millenium is the most secure payphone on the market and to keep it that way, information on the phone is very hard to find. Only details which are publicly available on the phone will be noted here. Millenium phones call daily to their "hive" and contain internal alarms to monitor activity on the phone. Dial tone heard when the handset is raised is computer generated, and the rate tables are contained within the phone and programmed and updated by the Millenium manager. A scrolling advertising line on the phones may also be programmed via the Millenium Manager to show up to 20 advertisements on the display's second line. The Manager can provide constant checks of the phone right down to the number and denominations of coins in the box, credit card verification, self-diagnostics, logging of operational notes such as cleaning and delivery directory dates, and detailed call activity statistics which may be used for planning.
A Millenium for the museum would be impossible to get operational in any way due to its need to interface with the Millenium Manager, but the design and security features of the phone put it miles ahead of its competition. Nortel Networks' Millennium� Advanced Public Access Solutions Division (sold to Quortech, a Gores Technology Group company as of April 2000 ) has produced an innovative phone which is well suited for the new Millenium, and for well into the 21st Century. Congratulations to Northern Telecom, Nortel, and Quortech!
It is because of its unique nature that I wanted to add a Millenium to the collection. No, it won't be able to be demonstrated with actual calls, but hopefully at least, I would be able to get its display working while not connected to a line to demonstrate its remarkable technology insofar as appearing operational.
This phone was Nevada Bell surplus. I have located a Island Tel bezel and card for this phone, and it has been rebranded Island Tel, - more representative of PEI. PEI Milleniums have recently completed their rebranding from Island Tel to Aliant, and these were remnants of the changeover.
Wouldn't it look great scrolling "Welcome to the Telephone Museum of P.E.I." in its advertising line?
Left: Millennium Card given out during 1990's Millennium session in Calgary. Edition: 1 Series 1, One out of 10,000 printed, June 1995.
Jan 07 2011 - This is one of two Millennium Desk phones I am expecting. Jan 06 2011 - This is one of two Millennium Desk phones I have been expecting. One has been received, the other received Jan 09 2011. One is brand new in the box, the other is used but NOS. The two phones have different cords on them. One had traditional colour coding, red, green, black and yellow with a security cable running through the cord - the other had a modern 3 pair cable ending in a modular connector.
Experimentation on the first type shows the black and yellow are the power input pair. Power was applied using a Motorola POE supply (minus its POE connector) giving 24 VDC at .5 amp. When the polarity is correct, it clicks, then boots up to the default message, "Out of Service" as it should. The power input on the second type will go to the second pair on the connector. I am looking for a programming "Key Card" for these phones. It is a card, which when inserted in the reader, replaces the function of the key as used in the wall millennium sets when programming. Of course, these sets don't handle cash, so a key isn't included. Even with it, I won't be able to give demonstrations with it, as Millenniums need a connection to the Millennium Manager at Quortech.
Programming won't be discussed - It is important to keep advanced information off the net to preserve the security of these phones.
