PUBLIC CARDS (Field-Trials, VIP, Restricted, Complimentary, Official & Private Phonecards) :

These cards are for public use, in specific countries or local areas, to place calls. They are normally sold and don’t usually bear “Phonocard” or “Landis & Gyr” or “Sodeco” but Telcos or customers logos and advertising.

FI - "Field-Trials cards" :

These early public phonecards were introduced to the public as an inovation. The optical devices were tested in local areas and the results of the survey were used to improve the system before a larger introduction of cards. These phonecards are the first real optical cards of the industrial countries where the fieldtrials were performed.

VI - "VIP cards" :

These phonecards can be considered as public cards because they can be used to place phone calls anywhere in the country of issue. They are not sold or given to the public but offered to Landis & Gyr or Telcos staff. These few cards bear the name of the VIP with the logo of its Telco and are usually without any control number. Only few important VIP cards will be shown in this online catalogue.

RE - "Restricted cards" :

These semi-public phonecards cards are sold from private companies for restricted use in closed areas like jails, oil-rigs or military areas. Very early single phonecards called Taxet were also used in very restricted territories.

CO - "Complimentary cards" :

These public phonecards are given away free by Telcos in order to introduce or promote the optical system

OF - "Official cards" or "Definitive cards" :

These public cards are the well-known ones sold in official retail shops. Some of them may be sold for more than the face value and the extra is used for charity purposes. Some hard-to-find ones bear “Phonocard”, “Landis & Gyr” and “Sodeco” (but no mention of “Service” or “Test”) and are also intended for public use. This occurs mainly with little or brand new Telcos with structure , which Landis & Gyr can immediately supply public cards with a standard design. These standard cards don't bear the Telcos logo and are sold in very few quantities because the structure is not securised and may be used in several other foreign countries... A special section will show early first issues.

PR - "Private cards" :

These public cards were the last ones to be invented. They bear private advertising and are ordered from private companies in order to promote their products with free calls offered to the public. They often have a low face value and mainly show attractive pictures intended for the collectors’ market.

ENGINEER CARDS (Service, Test & Adjusting Phonecards) :

They are only sold to the Telcos (or private customers) for technical use on the optical system. They are minimalistic cards but the structure-number or the customer’s logo must be clearly identified. They bear “Phonocard”, “Landis & Gyr” and “Sodeco” and former engineer cards had control numbers with the prefix 03.

SE - "Service cards" :

They bear “Service” and are used to place impulse-calls for checking the quality of the communication.

TE - "Test cards" :

They bear “Test” and are used to control technical parameters of the reading device and to check the security.

AD - "Adjusting cards" or "Cartes de Centrage" or "Einstellkarten" :

These cards bear “Adjusting” or “Centrage” or “Einstellkarte” and are used to adjust the optical reading device.

INTERNAL CARDS (Laboratory, Experimental, Demonstration & Factory Phonecards) :

These L&G cards bear “Landis & Gyr” and “Sodeco” and are not sold by Landis & Gyr. Experimental and Democards are minimalistic cards and have control numbers beginning with the prefix 00.

LA - "Laboratory cards" or "Prototypes cards" or "Lab-Models" :

From 1973, lengthslide internal phonecards were produced in an optical laboratory. They were never shown before this website !

EX - "Experimental cards" or "Proof cards" :

These internal phonecards were used to improve the security of the optical system (country code, laser control numbers) or to reduce the production costs (width reduction, PVC quality) or to introduce new features required from the customers (thermolack, notch, quadri-color, fullface, advertising on the reverse)...

DE - "Demo cards" :

These internal phonecards were used by the Landis & Gyr’s engineers in order to perform and demonstrate the system in the factory or on site, at the customers’ headquarters. They were used for the final acceptance of the performance of the system and always preceeded the introduction of public cards in a new territory.

Landis & Gyr did also demonstrate the system to a larger public at meetings, fairs, congresses or exhibitions : the Democards are then given away to the visitors (or happy collectors) who have the opportunity to place free calls from site. Those faircards bear sponsors’ advertising with the date and country where the event took place.

FA - "Factory cards" or "Master cards" :

These internal cards were only for production use inside the factory and were never shown before this website :

FA1 - "Settings-cards"

FA2 - "Monitorings-cards"

FA3 - "Commissioning-cards"

FA4 - "Undefined-cards"