Forum CT2 Phone

C.1988

Shaye Comunications

This lightweight cordless phone, with memory for 12 numbers, could be used at home or outdoors through Phonepoint and Mercury Callpoint, two of the UK’s four short-lived “Telepoint” services. Designed for CT2 (Cordless Technology 2), a second-generation digital cordless standard often marketed as Telepoint, it worked like a normal cordless indoors but could also place outgoing calls within 100–200 metres of a public base station in high streets, stations or shopping centres. Incoming calls were not supported, and coverage was patchy; as cellular networks spread with the ability to handle both incoming and outgoing calls, they soon outpaced Telepoint despite its lower handset costs.

Developed by Shaye Communications, a Sinclair Research spin-off backed by TIMEX and Nokia, the Forum Personal Phone reflected where personal communication was heading and marked a transitional step between cordless telephones and fully mobile systems. Although commercially short-lived, Telepoint’s legacy can be seen in today’s shared public networks, from Wi-Fi in cafés to hotspots on trains. The Forum is discussed in the book “Cordless Telecommunications in Europe: The Evolution of Personal Communications” by Wally H. W. Tuttlebee.

Image: Book, Cordless Telecommunications in Europe, by Wally H. W. Tuttlebee.