COCOTS: A short information article about the many manufacturers.

    There are many COCOT (Customer Owned Coin-Operated Telephone) manufacturers that existed in the North American market. In this small article I'll go over the top COCOT manufacturers and the more obscure ones. This doesn't go over the more technical side, check out http://www.payphone411.com for more technical info.

Please note; At the time of this writing, the Internet Archive is currently down so I'm limited on what images I can use. This will be updated later as the sites come back online.

PROTEL:

Protel is one of the top two most popular COCOT supplier in the USA. They have many COCOT boards that are still supported and used to this day, with their 7000 board being the most popular. They utilized generic Quadrum housings as well as Western Electric retrofits. They're still in business, but no longer manufacture parts and have limited factory tech support. They recommend payphone.com for your Protel payphone needs, their authorized distributor.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Plentiful

IN BUSINESS: Yes

http://www.protelinc.com 

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

ELCOTEL/QUORTECH:

Elcotel could be considered the second most popular COCOT manufacturer in the North American market. Their most popular product is the Series-5. They have since been acquired by Quortech, which then got acquired by Wimactel. Although the company still exists somewhat, the actual payphone side of it no longer exists however tech support and parts are still plentiful by their authorized distributors. They used Quadrum and Western Electric housings.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Great

IN BUSINESS: No, but its parent company still exists.

https://www.wimactel.com

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

ERNEST:

Ernest is a former COCOT manufacturer that has been long out of the payphone industry, and later just went out of business in general. They only had a very few payphone products and not much is really known about them. Their website has been long gone but their Facebook page still exists. They used Quadrum housings.

PARTS: Limited

SUPPORT: Limited

IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Possibly. Their payphones are dependable, and programming and rate files are available. However, they lack support.

INTELLICALL:

Intellicall was another popular manufacturer in North America, they were one of the last domestic payphone innovators, still continuing to better payphone technology until the bitter end in 2013. Although not that popular, they're still being used by the very few remaining PSPs in specific areas. Their most popular board is the Ultratel, most known for its very robotic voice instructions. They used Quadrum and TIDEL housings.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: None

IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No. Unless you can program them, try to avoid Intellicalls.

SMART-PHONE:

A more obscure COCOT manufacturer in the USA that was early in the game. They used GTE/Quadrum housings as well as their own manufactured housings that look different from the rest. Their boards are keypad programmable and software programmable. It is unknown if their boards are compliant with current telecom standards, but their later phones should be.

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None
IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Maybe. If it's keypad programmable and you have the manual, it could be worth a shot.

PCI:

Not much is known about PCI, but they did make payphones during the heyday. Image source: Philtel.org

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None
IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No.

G-TEL (& its rebadges) DESKTOP/WALL COCOTS:

These phones are rebadges from some overseas manufacturer and may go by many names. For simplicity, I'll go by G-TEL, one of their rebadges. These desktop and wall-mount payphones are keypad programmable and are still in use to this day, with even a few still operational in Philadelphia PA. These are mostly robust and reliable, ready for service.

PARTS: Limited

SUPPORT: Great

IN BUSINESS: G-TEL rebadger, Yes.

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

CKT:

Their cheaper desktop payphones are known to be unreliable garbage, however their more "heavy duty" payphones are okay.

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None

IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No. Unless you get one new or their higher-end models.

WILTELCO:

A US-Based COCOT manufacturer that was a small branch from a Pinball giant. Although their payphones were great initially, Williams decided to leave the payphone industry early. Their payphones are no longer compliant with current telco standards. They used GTE housings.

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None

IN BUSINESS: No, but parent company still exists.

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No.

FUNCTION INTERNATIONAL:

Function is an American and Chinese payphone manufacturer, they were also one of the last innovators in payphone technology. Some of their higher-end payphones even supported SMS, Cellular air-time payments, and even web browsing. They mostly used Quadrum and their own payphone housings. Their payphone division went defunct in 2018, but their parent company still exists. Their payphones are most popular in Mexico.

PARTS: Limited

SUPPORT: Limited
IN BUSINESS: No, but parent company still exists.

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Maybe, if you can even find programming for them.

COMEX:

Asian-based COCOT manufacturer that did offer payphones in North America. They used Quadrum housings and their payphones looked like a Nortel Millennium knock-off. They went out of business in 2019.

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None

IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No. 

MAXCOMM:

An Asian-based COCOT manufacturer that offers payphones in North America, they're the last remaining manufacturer of GTE-Style payphones in the world. Their newer payphones even have Wi-Fi hotspots built in.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Plentiful

IN BUSINESS: Yes

https://www.maxcomm.com.tw

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

TONGYA:

An Asian-based COCOT manufacturer that offers payphones in North America and are the most popular overseas payphone manufacturer in the USA, with many of their payphones still in place at sites such as diners and laundromats. They still make payphones to this day, as well as web-payphones.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Plentiful

IN BUSINESS: Yes

https://www.tongya.com.tw

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

CEECO:

A US-Based coinless payphone manufacturer, they mostly cater to corrections today however their phones are still used for public communications. They no longer have the blue phones though.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Plentiful

IN BUSINESS: Yes

https://www.ceeco.net

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

EZ-LINK:

The payphone that can do it all! Calls, Emails, Web browsing, Video Calls, Printing, Bill Payment, and more! Although this was a legit product, the financing of the product was a scam and later shut down by the feds in 2007.

PARTS: None

SUPPORT: None

IN BUSINESS: No

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? No.

WINTEL:

Wintel is a coinless payphone manufacturer based in the USA. They still make those "blue Charge-A-Call" telephones, mostly to cater to corrections but their phones have also been seen in the wild for public use at theme parks, camp sites, campuses, and more.

PARTS: Plentiful

SUPPORT: Plentiful

IN BUSINESS: Yes

https://www.wintelphones.com

Should I consider getting one for my fleet? Yes!

This is my current list of payphone manufacturers where their products have been used in the USA. "Should I consider getting one for my fleet?" is a very basic suggestion for those who want to start their own hobby payphone fleet. The suggestion doesn't factor in price.