What is the difference between a public telephone and a private telephone?

Answer 1

There are two possible answers here: A public telephone is one that is generally available to the public for use, such as a pay phone. Private telephones are those that are in homes and offices and are not for use by persons not authorized to use them. The other possible answer is that public phones are those connected to the general telephone service. Your house and most phones are actually connected to the public network. A private phone network is often set up by large companies and governments to provide inexpensive phone service between various offices and production facilities. There is usually a way to connect to the public network through the dialing of a special phone prefix. In my office I dial a 9 to connect to the public network. I only have to dial 5 digits to reach anyone in my building. I have another number that I can dial that will get me remote offices using phone lines that directly connect the two locations without use of the public phone lines.