To provide a public telephone system and center capable of informing a called party from whom the call comes before reply of the called party even in the case of the call from a public phone which many unspecified people utilize.

The public phone 1 is provided with a living body identification information read section 1-6. A database 2-2 of the center 2 stores personal data (living body identification information, account number, and user's name) of users registered therein. When a user of the public phone 1 makes a phone call to an opposite party, the user allows a processing section 1-1 to read its own living body identification information (e.g., fingerprint) via the living body identification information read section 1-6. The public phone 1 transmits the read living body identification information to the center 2. The center 2 collates the received living body identification information with the personal data in the database 2 and permits the speech from the public phone 1 to the opposite party when the personal data are coincident with the living body identification information, reads the personal name from the personal data that are discriminated coincident with the received living body identification information, and transmits the personal name to the public phone 1 which has transmitted the living body identification information to the center 2. The public phone 1 transmits the received personal name to the opposite party at call transmission.