Plessey Co Plc’s assiduous efforts over the years to come up with a pay phone that could withstand the worst that British hooligans could throw at them are really beginning to pay off for successor company GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd. Having got a foothold in the vast Soviet market, the company has made possibly an even bigger coup to the south, where it will take 40% of a joint venture with Usha Pte Ltd to manufacture payphones in India. The prize is a government commitment to install at least one coin operated telephone in each of the country’s 575,000 villages. GEC Plessey will provide the technology and phones will initially be assembled from imported components until local industry can fill the gap. GEC Plessey looks to make 5,000 to 7,000 phones at the plant this year, 15,000 to 20,000 next year.
