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The U.K. will save thousands of its iconic red phone kiosks from being shut down

Thousands of the U.K.'s famous red public phone booths will be kept in service, despite lagging use. Regulators say they still play a vital role in emergencies.
Britain has set new criteria to protect thousands of red public phone booths. Here, spectators sit on two of the kiosks as a crowd watches a parade of athletes who competed in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The U.K.'s phone regulator says it will keep thousands of the nation's famous red public phone kiosks in service, despite a sharp drop in calls from the boxes.

Communications regulator Ofcom says the payphones are still vital in case

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