FEW technologies have affected our daily lives as much as the mobile phone.

It has spawned a new way and language of communication and this week we report on our business page how one Northallerton restaurant is harnessing the power of the mobile phone to build new relationships with its customers.

Inevitably, there is a down-side. BT's decision to review the future of 178 phone boxes in the circulation are of the D&S Times is hardly surprising news. With even the most technophobic people succumbing to the sheer convenience of mobile phones, the sharp reduction in the number of calls made from phone boxes is inevitable. Most of these phone boxes, especially in towns, are a liability - prone to vandalism and expensive to maintain.

In rural areas, it is not so straightforward. The still incomplete nature of the mobile phone network means the public phone box can still be a lifesaver. There will be occasions when the presence of a public land-line phone will be crucial in summoning the emergency services to the scene of an incident.

BT has said it is prepared to listen to public service arguments. Parish councils in areas where the mobile phone network remains patchy need to make their views known.