From the Payphone Era to Smart LED Lighting

Think back to the yellow board that once stood on almost every street corner in India: STD · ISD · PCO. For a generation, that small booth was where families shared news, businesses closed deals and students called home. Today, the same need, to stay connected and to keep life running smoothly, is met by very different technology.

Lighting has gone through a similar change. The tube light and the bulb have given way to LEDs, and a power cut no longer has to mean darkness on a factory floor or a building staircase. This article traces that journey through MULTiSSCAN's own story, and explains what modern emergency lighting technology means for the spaces you manage today.

Where it began

The Payphone Era: Where Our Journey Began

Before mobile phones reached every pocket, the PCO booth was India's communication lifeline. Long-distance calls were planned, timed and often made late at night when rates were lower. The booth owner, the call meter and the printed bill were all part of an everyday ritual.

Trisha Electronics & Communications began its journey in the telecommunications industry in 1992. We launched the MULTiSSCAN brand in 1998 for products serving India's PCO market. Around 2000, we imported payphone housings from Star Electronics in Bangkok, Thailand, for about a year. Our range included wall-mounted PCO phones, coin-operated desktop payphones, STD PCO monitors and local call meters.

Then the mobile revolution arrived. As calls on mobile phones became affordable for almost everyone, the PCO booth's role declined quickly, and with it the market for payphone equipment. It was a clear lesson that technology never stands still. What stayed with us was something more valuable than any single product: years of hands-on experience in designing and building electronics meant for continuous, everyday use.

Adapting to change

From Communication Technology to Lighting Technology

A payphone and an LED luminaire look nothing alike, but underneath they share a lot: power supplies, control circuits and electronics that must work reliably for long hours. That background in electronics and communications became the base for our move into LED lighting solutions.

The goal is the same as it was in the PCO days: solve an everyday problem dependably. Good lighting is not a luxury. It is part of how people work safely and efficiently. Consider where visibility matters most:

If you are planning lighting for any of these spaces, you can explore our lighting products to see the options available.

Light when it matters most

Emergency Lighting Technology: Light When It Matters Most

In Mumbai and across India, a power cut is a familiar experience, whether it comes with a monsoon storm or a fault in the local supply. At home it is an inconvenience. On a factory floor, in a warehouse aisle or on a staircase, sudden darkness can stop work and put people at risk.

Emergency lighting is designed for exactly that moment. During normal operation, the light works like any other fitting. When mains power fails, it switches automatically to its battery, so illumination continues without anyone having to find a torch or a switch. When power returns, the battery recharges and is ready for the next interruption.

Emergency LED high-bay lights

High-ceiling spaces such as warehouses and industrial sheds are among the hardest places to be caught in the dark. An emergency high-bay light with an integrated battery-backup system combines everyday overhead lighting with emergency operation in one fitting, helping maintain visibility and operational continuity during an outage.

Emergency LED luminaires for other spaces

The same idea applies to other emergency LED lighting, such as panels, tube lights and street lights with battery backup, for offices, corridors, stairways and outdoor areas.

The right solution depends on the space: ceiling height, the area to be covered, how long backup is needed and how the site is used. A product that suits a corridor may not suit a 10-metre-high warehouse, so it pays to discuss the application before choosing.

Simple care keeps emergency lights ready

• Test periodically by simulating a mains failure, as recommended by the manufacturer and any applicable safety requirements.
• Keep fittings clean, especially in dusty industrial spaces, so light output is not reduced.
• Check battery health over time; rechargeable batteries age and eventually need replacement.
• Use a qualified electrician for installation and wiring.

Intelligent lighting

Intelligent Lighting: CCT, Dimming and Remote Control

Lighting is no longer just on or off. With modern LED drivers and compatible control systems, you can adjust both the colour and the brightness of light to suit the task and the time of day.

What is CCT?

CCT stands for Correlated Colour Temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). It describes whether white light looks warm and yellowish or cool and bluish.

Depending on the fixture, driver and controller, a CCT LED driver with remote can let users:

• Switch between warmer and cooler white light.
• Dim the light to adjust brightness.
• Make these changes conveniently by remote, without rewiring.
• Set comfortable lighting for different activities: focused work, meetings, evenings or rest.

Important: CCT adjustment and dimming need compatible equipment. The LED fixture, driver and controller must be designed to work together, and not every LED driver supports both functions. If you are unsure, ask before you buy.

Explore our LED drivers to see what is available.

Quick Lighting Glossary

What comes next

Looking Ahead: Practical, Efficient Lighting

Lighting keeps moving towards greater energy efficiency, better control, dependable emergency illumination and solutions tailored to each space. The direction is clear: light that uses less power, lasts longer, adapts to how people work and keeps going when the supply does not.

But the best lighting decisions are still practical ones. Application, colour temperature, brightness, controls, installation and backup requirements all matter, and getting them right makes a real difference to safety, comfort and running costs.

At MULTiSSCAN, our roots in electronics and telecommunications continue to shape how we work: a focus on practical, dependable products and on helping customers find the right solution for their site.