A symbol of MEO's commitment, through its Foundation, to more humane and transformative technology at the service of people, the project aims to transform old telephone booths into micro-libraries, living centers of culture, proximity, and social impact. Since 2013, on the initiative of the MEO Foundation, in conjunction with local partners, old telephone booths have ceased to be urban equipment - whose progressive loss of usefulness, dictated by technological innovation, had led to their abandonment - to become a cultural space and a meeting point at the service of communities.
In the first phase of the project, more than a hundred cabins were redesigned.
A new cycle, more digital, and also dedicated to children
The new cycle that is now beginning takes another step forward in preserving collective memory, but also in creating new memories for the residents of the cities that will benefit from them.
“The Fundação MEO give new life to old telephone booths, transforming them into spaces open to the community. These booths are no longer objects of the past, but have become living places: micro-libraries, spaces for everyone, points of culture and proximity,” emphasizes Carolina Pita Negrão, director of Fundação MEO.
Keeping the focus on promoting reading and sharing, the new Fundação MEO Booths Fundação MEO a revamped design and contemporary identity, integrating new features such as: • Digital content accessible via QR Code; • An Instagram-friendly wall; • A space dedicated to children; • A mailbox for positive messages, inviting passersby to participate by reading, writing, and sharing.
In addition to preserving heritage and projecting it into the future, the aim of this initiative is to promote sharing and reading, amplifying the impact that culture has on the lives of communities. Following the inauguration of the Picoas booth in Lisbon, and throughout the first quarter of 2026, the Fundação MEO refurbish nine more booths in various regions of the country: Porto, Beja, Portimão, Fundão, Oliveira de Azeméis, Góis, Benavente, Feijó, and Gouveia.
With this relaunch, the Fundação MEO its role as an agent of social impact, demonstrating that innovation makes more sense when it creates connections, arouses emotions, and leaves positive marks on communities.