Vintage ITI Bakelite Rotary Dial Telephone | GPO 332 Style Desk Phone

This black vintage Bakelite rotary dial desk telephone was made by Indian Telephone Industries and follows the design of the British GPO 300 Series, based on the Telephone No. 332.

The horizontal louvred vents on the sides of the base identify it as an ITI model. British examples usually have a solid base or small sound holes. These vents were added to suit warmer operating conditions.

The body is moulded from Bakelite, a material widely used for telephones from the 1930s to the 1950s. The red button on the front corner served as a recall or call exchange button for office switchboards and shared telephone lines.

Indian Telephone Industries began production in Bangalore during the late 1940s using machinery and moulds supplied by Britain's Automatic Telephone and Electric company. The result was a telephone that closely followed the British design while including small changes for local use.

This is a good example of mid century telephone design with a link to both British and Indian telecommunications history.

Width: 26cm 

Depth: 20cm 

Height:15cm