# telephone keypad

> keypad that appears on a "Touch Tone" telephone

**Wikidata**: [Q444321](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q444321)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_keypad)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/telephone-keypad

## Summary
A telephone keypad is the small, rectangular keyboard featuring digits and symbols specifically designed for "Touch Tone" telephones. It serves as the primary input interface for dialing numbers and accessing telephony functions.

## Key Facts
- **Classification:** Telephone keypad is a subclass of keypad.
- **Aliases:** Also known as "Téléphone à touches" and "Clavier telephonique".
- **Wikipedia Presence:** Has articles in 10 languages: de, en, fa, fr, gcr, ko, pt, sv, zh, zh_yue.
- **Wikidata ID:** Q64139102 (as of July 9, 2020).
- **Freebase ID:** /m/01p7gc.
- **KBpedia ID:** TelephoneKeypad.
- **Sitelink Count:** 10 Wikipedia sitelinks.
- **Commons Category:** Telephone keypads.
- **Parent Concept:** Related to the broader class of keypad and the numeric keypad found on computer keyboards.

## FAQs
### Q: What is the purpose of a telephone keypad?
A: The telephone keypad provides the interface for users to input telephone numbers and access telephony services like call waiting or voicemail on Touch Tone telephones.

### Q: How does a telephone keypad differ from a computer numeric keypad?
A: While both contain digits, the telephone keypad includes the symbols (* and #) and is specifically designed for telephony input, whereas a computer numeric keypad is a section of a full keyboard optimized for data entry and calculations.

### Q: What are the standard symbols found on a telephone keypad?
A: Beyond the digits 0-9, the standard telephone keypad includes the asterisk (*) and pound (#) symbols, essential for Touch Tone signaling functions.

### Q: Why is it called a "Touch Tone" keypad?
A: It is named after the "Touch Tone" system introduced by AT&T, which used dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling generated by pressing these specific keys, replacing rotary dialing.

## Why It Matters
The telephone keypad fundamentally transformed telephony by replacing rotary dials with an intuitive, efficient input method. Its standardization enabled the automation of telephone exchanges, paving the way for interactive voice response (IVR) systems, automated customer service, and the integration of telephony with early computer systems. The layout, derived from adding symbols to the existing rotary dial arrangement, became a universal interface, influencing the design of other numeric input devices and demonstrating the power of standardized human-machine interaction. Its enduring presence underscores its critical role in the evolution of modern communication infrastructure.

## Notable For
- **Standardization:** Its layout (digits 1-9 in a 3x3 grid, 0 at the bottom, * and # at the bottom) became the global standard for telephone input.
- **Touch Tone Enabler:** Specifically designed for and integral to the "Touch Tone" dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling system.
- **Universal Interface:** Achieved widespread adoption as the primary input method for landline telephones globally.
- **Symbol Integration:** Unique inclusion of the asterisk (*) and pound (#) symbols specifically for telephony signaling functions.

## Body
### Definition and Classification
The telephone keypad is defined as the keypad that appears on a "Touch Tone" telephone. It is formally classified as a subclass of the broader class "keypad," which encompasses small, rectangular keyboards supporting a limited set of symbols. It is distinct from the "numeric keypad," which refers to a section of a computer keyboard.

### Identifiers and Aliases
- **Wikidata ID:** Q64139102 (last referenced July 9, 2020).
- **Freebase ID:** /m/01p7gc (publication date: October 28, 2013).
- **KBpedia ID:** TelephoneKeypad.
- **Aliases:** Includes "Téléphone à touches" and "Clavier telephonique" in French.

### Digital Presence
- **Wikipedia:** Has articles titled "Telephone keypad" in 10 languages: German (de), English (en), Persian (fa), French (fr), Guianan Creole French (gcr), Korean (ko), Portuguese (pt), Swedish (sv), Chinese (zh), and Yue Chinese (zh_yue).
- **Wikimedia Commons:** Categorized under "Telephone keypads."
- **Sitelink Count:** 10 Wikipedia sitelinks.
- **Main Category:** Category:Telephone keypads.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. KBpedia