Thousands of red UK phone boxes to be protected from closure

 

英國數千座紅色電話亭將不被淘汰

【摘要2022.2.17.四.自由】◎孫宇青

Britain’s iconic red payphone boxes may look like obsolete relics in an age of ubiquitous smartphones, but regulator Ofcom said they can still be a "lifeline" for people.

在智慧型手機隨處可見的時代，英國標誌性紅色付費電話亭或許看似過時產物，但英國通訊管理局說，這些電話亭也可以成為人們的「生命線」。

Ofcom is proposing rules to prevent 5,000 call boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage from being closed down. It said that phone booths in areas considered accident or suicide hotspots, and those that have had more than 52 calls made from them in the past 12 months, would also meet the criteria.

英國通訊管理局正提出新規定，避免手機普及率較低地區的5000座電話亭被關閉。該局說，常發生意外或自殺事件的地區，以及過去12個月撥打次數超過52次的電話亭，都符合留存標準。

BT Group says nearly half of the phone boxes in the U.K. have been removed due to the growth of the mobile phone industry. It said more than 6,500 call boxes have so far been converted into mini community libraries, art galleries or storage units for public defibrillators under a plan called "Adopt a Kiosk."（AP）

英國電信集團表示，由於行動電話產業的成長，英國近半數電話亭已被移除，另有6500座在「認養一座電話亭」計畫下，被改造成小型社區圖書館、藝廊或放置公用去顫器的空間。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

obsolete：形容詞，過時的；廢棄的。例句：The technology was considered obsolete ten years ago.（這項科技10年前就被認為過時。）

relic：名詞，遺物、遺跡、遺俗。例句：During the construction, the workers dug out some relics from an unknown period.（在建造期間，工人挖出時期不明的遺跡。）

defibrillator：英文全名為Automated external defibrillator（AED），即自動體外心臟電擊去顫器。