Although mobile phones were not new by the late 1990s, neither had they yet reached the total market saturation that was to follow. Mobile phone calls were still perceived as costly compared to using landlines, and this was a stumbling block for more universal adoption of the technology. One of the strategies to encourage ownership, employed by mobile phone network providers like BT Cellnet, was to simplify contracts for their use. 'Pay-as-you-go' schemes freed users from costly fixed contracts and allowed them to 'top up' their credit as and when they were able to. This example is in its original pristine packaging, which illustrates a traditional red telephone box: exactly the kind of familiar convenience that mobile phones sought to usurp. Ironically the network provider was a subsidiary of British Telecom, the firm operating the phone boxes. A user offer printed on the back of the packaging, and documentation with the phone, dates the purchase to August 1999. The packaging and BT Cellnet brand logo and identity were designed by creative director Ian McGregor for Clarke Hooper that same year. The phone itself is unremarkable, being a durable tool rather than a fashion statement. It was easy to use and even easier to replace.