[EdiX]

I remember waiting in line up to half an hour every day to call back home my parents while on vacation because otherwise I wouldn't know if something important had happened and they would assume I was dead. And, hey, did you remember buying a new card for payphones? Those things used to demagnetise at the speed of light. I also remember that one time I locked myself out of my home and had to walk for 2km to get a the spare set from a friend (lets just hope he is there). Yes I think overall it's really a good thing.

[prunebeads]

The issues you're describing has been solved by cellphones, but it doesn't mean it was the only solution. More payphones, more reliable phone cards (in France we use smartcards for that) would have done the trick.