Via Mobile research forum newsletter, the fortwayne gazette:

Phone companies in the US have eliminated more than a million traditional pay phones in the past eight years, many of them in phone booths. Now, some restaurants, libraries and other businesses are slowly bringing back phone booths, without the phone this time. Users bring their own mobile phone and can talk as loud as they want without bothering anybody else or being asked to step outside. The quest for privacy drives 98 per cent of Americans to go to another room or outside when talking on a cell phone, according to a recent survey. Some retreat to a restroom to make calls. But few things are more irritating than having to listen to the sound of toilets flushing during an important conversation - 77 per cent of the survey respondents said they were subjected to such toilet gaffes. In Europe, where cell phone use is ubiquitous, an industry has cropped up to make and promote modern cell phone booths. Isomax Dekorative Laminate AG in Austria, is proposing that its laminate cladding boards could be used to make a booth with retractable walls. Antti Evavaara, a Finnish furniture designer, has sold hundreds of mobile-phone boxes for several thousand euros each since 2002. The booths, dubbed 'Silence', are designed for waiting areas, airports and hotel lobbies. They resemble C-shaped chairs with clear side panels. Evavaara recently announced plans to mass-produce the box in as many as 67 colours. The most popular colour so far: bright red.