A bat phone or batphone, in popular
jargon
Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The conte ...
, is a private
telephone number
A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices f ...
for important telephone calls handled at high priority.
The term is also used to describe the use of more than one mobile phone, with the "bat phone" reserved for a specific purpose.
The name Bat-Phone was popularized by the
''Batman'' television series starting in 1966, when it was depicted as a red phone that
Commissioner Gordon
James W. "Jim" Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character deb ...
used to summon the superhero
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
in emergencies,
and as the red phone mounted inside the
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the fictional car driven by the superhero Batman. Housed in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both a heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit a ...
, the car driven by Batman.
Technology journalists have also used "Bat Phone" to describe devices that are novel in appearance,
or have a connection to the
''Batman'' franchise.
Origins in ''Batman''
Bat-Phone and Hot-Line
The term originated with the red phone which
Commissioner Gordon
James W. "Jim" Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character deb ...
of the
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the cit ...
Police Department uses to call Batman in the
''Batman'' television show of 1966 to 1968.
Enclosed in a glass cake dome,
this emergency phone was called the Bat-Phone,
and glowed red when it rang. In the series, Batman played by
Adam West is able to receive calls from the police commissioner on the mobile Bat-Phone in the
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the fictional car driven by the superhero Batman. Housed in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both a heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit a ...
,
in his study at
Wayne Manor
Wayne Manor Estate (or simply Wayne Manor) is a fictional mansion appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also the superhero Batman.
The residence is depicted as a large ma ...
, and in the Batcave.
The fictional communications system was first introduced in June 1964 as the "Hot-Line" in ''
Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...
'' No. 328, which depicts a tape recorder in the
Batcave
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...
for incoming messages, and ''
Batman Comics'' No. 164/1, showing an extension mounted inside the Batmobile.
In ''DC Comics'' No. 329 (July 1964), the Hot-Line has been installed inside of Wayne Manor, and is blue rather than red.
A note from the editors explained, "The Hot-Line provides a direct connection between police headquarters and Batman’s Batcave."
In ''75 Years of DC Comics'', author Paul Levitz credits editor Julie Schwartz for the concept, noting that the Hot-Line "forever
ilencedcurious kids who demanded to know why a
searchlight
A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...
was the best way to summon a hero whose headquarters is in a cave."
Precursor to cellular phone
The Bat-Phone installed in the Batmobile shown in the ''Batman'' TV series helped to raise interest in wireless communications technology among American consumers starting in the 1960s, along with the mobile shoe phone depicted in ''
Get Smart
''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, an ...
'' and the hand-held communicators which appeared in ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''.
However, it was not until the 1980s that some consumers had access to the
first mobile telephone,
and not until the 1990s that they became "cheaper, smaller, and more readily available."
Usage in other contexts
Business
![Classic red telephone billed as Bat Phone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Classic_red_telephone_billed_as_Bat_Phone.jpg)
In business, a bat phone has come to mean a private telephone number that has higher priority than a number that is more "public".
A bat phone can also refer to the use of a second mobile phone reserved for a dedicated purpose, or for specific callers.
In 2002, ''Leading Authorities on Business'' noted that former Amazon CEO
Jeff Bezos
Jeffrey Preston Bezos ( ;; and Robinson (2010), p. 7. ''né'' Jorgensen; born January 12, 1964) is an American entrepreneur, media proprietor, investor, and commercial astronaut. He is the founder, executive chairman, and former preside ...
carried a mobile phone with a number he gave out only to a select group of people, including "his wife, his top suppliers, a few critical subordinates, his management team, and members of his board of directors."
Whenever his "bat phone" rang, Bezos made it a priority to take the call, regardless of whether he was in a meeting, or in conversation with someone else, enabling him to respond quickly to critical issues.
A 2005 ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' article on cellphone etiquette in the workplace reported that many interviewees "said they had long ago crossed the line where they used the cell like a Batphone for emergency calls only."
In 2011, ''The Essential Phone Interview Handbook'' advised job hunters to get a separate phone number to give out to potential employers, rather than using a household landline.
Author Paul J. Bailo wrote, "When Batman is working on the Batmobile and he hears the Bat Phone ring, he knows it's Commissioner Gordon calling Batman on an important mission. Before Batman even picks up the phone, his head is in the game. He knows this is a serious phone call. Your Bat Phone plays the same role for you and your job search."
Government and national security
In the United States, "bat phone" has been used to refer to a direct line to government officials,
often in connection with national security.
In 2002, in the wake of the
9/11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
, the
Business Roundtable
The Business Roundtable (BRT) is a nonprofit lobbyist association based in Washington, D.C. whose members are chief executive officers of major United States companies. Unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose members are entire businesses, BRT ...
, an association of 150 CEOs, announced that it was developing a secure communications network to communicate with government leaders and with each other in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster.
The project was called the Critical Emergency Operations Link, or CEO Link, and was billed as a "CEO 'Batphone' project" by ''InformationWeek''.
In 2003, the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...
started installing secure phone lines connected with the governor's office and state emergency operations center in each state, which ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' characterized as "reminiscent of the red 'bat phone' in the 1960s 'Batman' television show but far more sophisticated".
The secure lines allowed federal officials in Washington, D.C., to "discuss classified intelligence with top state officials in an emergency, such as a terrorist strike" and other sensitive matters related to security.
In 2007, ''Reuters'' reported that New York Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
told a
United States Senate Committee that the only calls he received on the secure "bat phone" installed in his kitchen were from insurance salespeople or those offering magazine subscriptions.
When reporters asked him afterwards how telemarketers managed to find the secret phone number, Bloomberg explained, "You can dial a number at random and eventually get to everyone in the world."
The term has also been used to suggest or deny that certain individuals may have undue influence on the American government. In 2001, lobbyist
Michael Scanlon
Michael Scanlon (also known as Sean Scanlon) is a former communications director for Rep. Tom DeLay, lobbyist, and public relations executive who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges related to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. He is curre ...
told a newspaper that fellow lobbyist
Jack Abramoff
Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction a ...
had a "relationship" with President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, saying, "He doesn't have a bat phone or anything, but if he wanted an appointment, he would have one". In 2012, Israeli newspaper ''
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' claimed that
Dennis Ross
Dennis B. Ross (born November 26, 1948) is an American diplomat and author. He has served as the Director of Policy Planning in the State Department under President George H. W. Bush, the special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clint ...
, who had joined the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, had a secure line to the Obama White House in his office.
The
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
denied this was the case, with the
spokesperson for the State Department emailing ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', "He has not been issued any kind of bat phone, red phone, funny phone, etc."
Emergency services
In the United Kingdom, all
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
(NHS) hospitals have red emergency telephones, referred to as "bat phones".
Paramedics call the bat phone in the hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments, to alert staff that a patient requiring urgent and immediate attention is on their way.
Starting in 2009, the Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust implemented a programme to admit stroke patients directly to the hyper-acute stroke unit rather than through A&E, using a "bat phone" with a separate ring tone and flashing light to alert ward staff prior to the patient's arrival.
The term "bat phone" is used similarly in Australia, where hospital emergency departments are equipped with "a phone without a dial" with "a peculiar ring or siren", which paramedics call from the ambulance.
In commercial aviation, the satellite-enabled telephone line which enables pilots or cabin crew to contact doctors on behalf of passengers requiring medical attention has been referred to colloquially as "The Batphone".
Media
American journalists often refer to Bat Phones to describe the media's direct access to well-placed sources. Journalist
Jim Rutenberg
Jim Rutenberg is a writer at large for ''The New York Times'' and ''The New York Times Magazine''. He has written over 2,300 articles for ''The New York Times''.
Career
After finishing college in 1991, Rutenberg began working for the '' New Y ...
has characterized real estate developer
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's regular calls to the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' with tips in the 1990s as being "like the bat phone". In 2017, in response to a question from ''
CNN Reliable Sources'' about "if it's ever awkward to be having to cover the Murdoch family while at a Murdoch paper",
''The'' ''Wall Street Journal'' media reporter Joe Flint said, "I do not have a
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
bat phone on my desk."
Criminal activity
Criminal investigations and trials in North America have pointed to the use of
burner phones
A prepaid mobile device, also known as a, pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, prepay or burner phone, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is ...
dubbed "Bat phones" by defendants to coordinate illicit activity, such as
Insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...
.
In 2009, a massive insider trading scheme involving the
Galleon Group
The Galleon Group was one of the largest hedge fund management firms in the world, managing over $7 billion, before closing in October 2009. The firm was the center of a 2009 insider trading scandal which subsequently led to its fall.
The firm wa ...
led by
Raj Rajaratnam
Rajakumaran Rajaratnam (born June 15, 1957) is a Sri Lankan-American former hedge fund manager and founder of the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund management firm.
On October 16, 2009, he was arrested by the FBI for insider trading ...
was said to use prepaid cellphones participants called "bat phones" in order to avoid possible detection by authorities.
Similarly, the insider trading case involving gambler
Billy Walters,
Dean Foods Co. CEO Tom Davis testified that starting in 2011, the two men communicated via a "Bat Phone" which Walters had purchased for this specific purpose.
Walters would call Davis and suggest meeting for coffee, which was "a signal for Davis to call back on the Bat Phone to relay insider information".
Customer service
In 2000, ''Air Transport World'' reported that
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...
was handing out cellphones which connected customers directly with reservation agents while waiting inside the airport terminal during weather-related flight delays and cancellations.
Referred to as "The Batphone", it allowed the airline to address customers' immediate needs with rebooking their flights, while allowing the gate agents to focus on issuing new boarding passes.
In 2001, ''Medical Meetings'' observed that The Expo Group, a general contractor for VPN Con, started distributing "bat phones" to its largest clients, embedded with an Internet connection that allowed them to bypass long-distance telephone carriers to reach their account representatives.
In 2022, ''Bloomberg.com'' said that tax preparation professionals were frustrated that their "bat phone" to the
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
, a dedicated customer service line which was previously answered immediately by an IRS representative, was now putting them on hold due to staffing shortages at the IRS.
Devices
Speakerphone
In a 1998 gadget review,
''Macworld'' magazine commented that the
Polycom
Poly, formerly Polycom, a part of HP Inc., is an American multinational corporation that develops video, voice and content collaboration and communication technology.
Polycom was co-founded in 1990 by Brian L Hinman and Jeffrey Rodman. In 2018 P ...
SoundStation Premier EX speakerphone was "totally cool-looking" and said that ''Macworld'' editors had "taken to calling it the Batphone" based on its appearance.
Mobile phones
In 2006, a widely syndicated article originally published in ''
The Dallas Morning News
''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...
'' described a $1,275 cellphone designed by
Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a Danish high-end consumer electronics company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets, and telephones. It was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who designed a radio to work with alt ...
, the Serene, as trapezoid in shape when folded, but said "when unfolded, it resembles the Bat Phone".
Limited edition mobile phones, designed to tie in with the
''Batman'' superhero franchise, have also been referred to as Batphones by the media. In 2008, Verizon Wireless introduced the Nokia 6205
The Dark Knight
''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and the second insta ...
edition mobile phone, which was "clad in a mysterious black color and embellished with a subtle The Dark Knight emblem, and
eatureda themed-edition flip phone design".
Journalist Philip Potempa wrote, "even though Verizon Wireless, Warner Bros. and Nokia refuse to make this connection, I'm calling this cell phone model 'The new Batphone'".
Telephony
Private-Line Automatic Ringdown
In telephony, the "bat phone" automatically connecting Commissioner Gordon's office with Batman is often cited as a metaphor for
Private-Line Automatic Ringdown (PLAR).
By linking two statically configured endpoints over VoIP, users who urgently need to reach a specific party can connect by simply picking up the phone without dialing.
Other media
* In the TV series ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'', the character
Ari Gold played by
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series ''Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the British ...
is an aggressive talent agent who calls his cell phone a "bat phone", which he is obligated to answer when it rings three times.
*
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...
has a song called "Batphone" on its album ''
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
''Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino'' is the sixth studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 11 May 2018 by Domino Recording Company. It was written by band frontman Alex Turner in 2016 on a Steinway Vertegrand piano in his ...
'' with the lyrics, "I'll be by the batphone if you need to get ahold".
See also
*
Hotline
A hotline is a point-to-point communications link in which a call is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user when the end instrument goes off-hook. An example would be a phone that automat ...
*
Bat-Signal
The Bat-Signal is a distress signal device appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, as a means to summon the superhero, Batman. It is a specially modified searchlight with a stylized emblem of a bat affixed to the light, allowi ...
*
Moscow–Washington hotline
The Moscow–Washington hotline (formally known in the United States as the Washington–Moscow Direct Communications Link; rus, Горячая линия Вашингтон — Москва, r=Goryachaya liniya Vashington–Moskva) is a system t ...
References
{{Batman (TV series)
Fictional elements introduced in 1964
Phone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...
Telephony
Euphemisms
Mobile phone culture