A long-standing protectorate of the United Kingdom, and independent since 1979, the Caribbean island installed the first public telephones in 1985, with service provided by Cable & Wireless and Autelca magnetic cards. Two ordinary cards were issued, with face values of EC$ 10 (circulation 50,000) and EC$ 40 (circulation 30,000). Of both there are some variants that differ in the size of the control code and the presence or absence of the small vertical dash under the magnetic strip.
