When was the last time you used a payphone? With the near universal use of mobile phones, they have become a relic that is more noticeable for the advertising that they carry.

Well, you might just have a use for them again, now. Telstra has announced that it is making local and national calls to standard fixed line numbers and standard Australian mobiles free!

There are around 15,000 payphones around Australia and they have been part of Australia's landscape since they were first used in the 1880s.

Telstra chief executive Andrew Penn said that payphones still played a vital role in the community.

"Even in the age of the smartphone they play such a critical role in our community, particularly in times of need, and particularly for those in need," Mr Penn said.

"I’ve seen myself how much payphones are part of the fabric of Australia and how important they are in good times, and bad. I’ve seen queues of people waiting in line, coins at the ready, to use a payphone to call home and tell their family and friends they’re safe after a bushfire, a cyclone or some other natural disaster has taken the mobile network down.

"I know payphones are also a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable Australians – the homeless, the isolated, those escaping domestic violence – and often provide their only link to critical support services and those that care about them.

"Last year alone Australians made 11 million calls on payphones, including more than 230,000 calls to vital services like Triple Zero, so there’s no doubt payphones are already often the lifeline that’s there when it’s needed most."

What do you think about the decision to make payphones available to use for free? When was the last time that you used a payphone?