T HE capital is getting facsimile machines installed in many of its phone booths, a telephone company executive said on Oct 12.

"We've had a lot of requests for them especially from hotels. We think they're going to be well used," Brendan Cass, payphone manager for Telstra, said.

The project is a joint venture between the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Telstra, an Australian telecom company.

The first pay-fax machine was due to begin operation at Pochentong Airport as the Post went to press.

The system works off a normal phone card and is billed at the same rate.

Cass said the machines would be installed in phone booths in hotels and office buildings because of security concerns