The End of an Era: Brazil's Iconic Orelhão Phones

The familiar sight of the orange orelhão is disappearing from Brazilian streets. For decades, these distinctive public phone booths served as essential lifelines for millions of citizens. Now, the era of the iconic telephone is drawing to a close.

Starting this January, the Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) has begun the definitive removal of these structures. The decision marks the end of an era for a design that became deeply embedded in the nation's cultural identity.

While the popularity of cellular phones rendered these booths largely obsolete, their legacy remains. They stand as physical reminders of a time when communication required a journey to the street corner, a pocketful of coins, and a moment of patience.

The story of the orelhão begins in 1971 with a visionary project by Chu Ming Silveira. Born in Shanghai in 1941, she moved to Brazil as a child and later graduated as an architect in São Paulo. She developed the design while working at the Departamento de Projetos da Companhia Telefônica Brasileira (CTB).

Launched in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in January 1972, the booth was revolutionary. Its egg-shaped design offered practical shelter from the sun and rain. More importantly, the curved structure provided superior acoustic quality, projecting sound outward to reduce noise for the caller.

"It was innovative because it was a national project. It was designed for our country, for our climate."

According to her son, Alan Chu, the design was specifically tailored to Brazilian conditions. Unlike standard booths found globally, the orelhão became an iconic national symbol that was later reproduced in countries including Peru, Angola, Moçambique, and even China.

Chu Ming Silveira passed away in 1997, but her creation continued to gain prestige. The orelhão transcended its function to become a visual shorthand for Brazil in popular culture. Its image evokes nostalgia for a specific era of urban life.

Recently, the booth experienced a resurgence in visibility among younger generations. It featured prominently in the promotional materials for O Agente Secreto, a film that won a Golden Globe and was nominated for the 2026 Oscar. The poster depicted actor Wagner Moura inside the oval cabine, holding a public telephone.

For years, these booths were ubiquitous. Until the early 2000s, a significant portion of the population lacked home telephones. The orelhão served as a rapid communication medium, connecting families and friends across vast distances. Its presence on street corners was as common as traffic lights or street signs.

The removal process is driven by regulatory changes. Last year, the concessions for fixed-line telephone services expired for five major companies: Algar, Claro, Oi, Sercomtel, and Telefonica. Consequently, these operators are no longer legally required to maintain public telephone infrastructure.

The extinction of the orelhão will not be immediate. The process began in January with the removal of deactivated units and empty casings. However, the timeline extends to 2028 for full implementation.

Booths will be preserved only in specific circumstances:

• Locations without cellular network coverage
• Areas identified as critical for emergency access
• Regions where alternative communication is unavailable

The decline has been gradual. Data indicates a massive reduction in numbers over recent years. In 2020, Brazil still had approximately 202,000 orelhões on its streets. Today, that number has plummeted to roughly 38,000 active units.

Current statistics from Anatel paint a picture of a network in rapid decline. Of the remaining units, the distribution is uneven. More than 33,000 orelhões remain technically active, while approximately 4,000 are currently undergoing maintenance.

Regional disparities exist. Some interior cities in São Paulo, for example, still host over 550 active orelhões. These areas often rely on the infrastructure more heavily than major urban centers where cellular penetration is higher.

The functional evolution of the devices mirrors technological history. Early models operated with telephone tokens (fichas) and coins. These were later replaced by prepaid cards. The final iteration allowed for reverse-charge calls (a cobrar), where the recipient bore the cost—a feature that remained vital for those without credit or access to banking.

The removal of the orelhão signifies more than just infrastructure updates; it marks the end of a physical connection point in an increasingly digital world. The booth, designed to protect conversations from the elements and the noise of the street, now faces its own obsolescence.

While the physical structures are vanishing, the design legacy of Chu Ming Silveira endures. Her creation successfully solved specific climatic and acoustic challenges, creating a form that was both functional and deeply resonant with national identity.

As the last of these booths are dismantled or preserved in remote locations, they leave behind a cultural footprint far larger than their physical presence. For millions of Brazilians, the memory of waiting in line at an orelhão, or the specific ring of its receiver, will remain a defining sensory detail of the 20th century.