Users Are Tossing Their Landlines Overboard

[johnnymk]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/business/21count.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Still have a landline? You’re showing your age. The young, hip, cool people have cellphones only, and that is bad news for traditional phone providers. In a survey of Internet users, JupiterResearch found that 12 percent “do not subscribe to fixed voice service, and nearly two-thirds of them are ages 18 to 34.”http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/09/21/business/21count-graf01-190.jpg

It is true that 70 percent of online users still have fixed lines in their homes provided by a telecommunications company. Fifteen percent receive fixed-line service from a cable company (cable providers are attracting customers with “bundled” offers) and 3 percent from an Internet-based service provider.

Alarmingly for the fixed-line providers, though, “12 percent of online users indicate their intent to replace home phone service with exclusive cellphone use during the next 12 months,” Jupiter says.

For the adaptable young, it may be easy — even trendy — to abandon the old-fashioned landline. But older people will probably feel a pang if they make the move to cut that cord.

[mechmike0034]

http://www.gotapex.com/1248785-post20.html

March, 2009 will make four years landline-less for me.

I have cable internet, and use Skype occasionally.

[Devhux]

I've been landline-less for three years now. Not worth the added cost for me, and I get great cellular reception at home.

[gwilks98]

I'd love to have a landline, but don't feel the cost is justified. I probably will order one once if I ever have kids. There's nothing more reliable when you need to dial 911.

[renovation]

we have been landline less for 5-6 years now. only have one sister inlaw who still has a home phone any more . only draw back i have found to being land line less is when it comes to getting and sending faxs .and i figure i have saved a ton of $$$$$$.
couple of weeks back i was at the saturn dealer and there a=was a lawyer there and he said he was only a cell phone for everything. but he did have special service he used to do faxing if he needed it.

[Hoser]

I haven't had a landline for 10 years. When long distance became cheap for cellphones that's when I cut the cord.

[nate el bueno]

The problem I see is that landlines are often used as a verification tool. 411, ect. That's what they did at Fry's (mostly because they're too cheap to get telechecks) and they would refuse to take a check without a landline phone number sometimes.

[mechmike0034]

they would refuse to take a check without a landline phone number sometimes.

Haven't written a check in years, either. Check card FTW!

[attgig]

no landline for a while. can't remmber how long.

I've used efax a bunch for faxes (though the amount of spam i've been getting through there has been annoying), or the company fax machine.

[hotbatch]

I don't have a line from the phone service anymore, just cheap cheap VOIP. I've found it's cheaper to roll with unlimited VOIP with which I do nearly all of my calls, and a pay-by-the-minute cell plan.

[Chgoman]

The thing that's kept me from getting rid of mine it that I have DSL internet. Does anyone know if it is possible not to have landline service, but keep DSL active? I've been meaning to look into that, but haven't gotten a chance to yet.

[Jeffbx]

Depends on the provider. I used to have that - it's called a dry loop, or an unbundled loop or something like that. They normally don't allow it because then they have an idle voice circuit that they can't sell.

I'm still convinced that Ameritech 'forced' me to drop mine by capping my speed at 384k until I got fed up with it & switched to Comcast. My normally 1Mb+ connection just suddenly went down to almost exactly 384k & stayed there... when I complained they said I was 'well within my contractual speed of UP TO 1.5Mbps'.

Idiots.

[Prngr44]

The thing that's kept me from getting rid of mine it that I have DSL internet. Does anyone know if it is possible not to have landline service, but keep DSL active? I've been meaning to look into that, but haven't gotten a chance to yet.

I thought almost all providers were required to provide "naked" DSL which was service that didn't require you to have a landline.

They usually tack on $5/month premium, but it's still less than your cost of the landline.

[Kevster]

I still have a land line, for the primary reason that cell phones and broadband internet cannot be relied upon when a natural disaster occurs. I know people will think I am being foolish, but the aftermath of Hurricane Ike showed the value of a landline, as in many places that was the only way to communicate for days due to power outages and cell phone towers being out. This happened to my wife's family outside Beaumont, where the power was out for three days and cell phones didn't work for two, but guess what? Their landline phone was up the whole time.

[Kevster]

I thought almost all providers were required to provide "naked" DSL which was service that didn't require you to have a landline.

They usually tack on $5/month premium, but it's still less than your cost of the landline.

Telco providers are not required at all to offer "Naked" DSL, without a POTS connection. Many of them do not offer it primarily because their accounting systems can't handle it, as your customer account is a phone number typically. Some providers are now offering their POTS lines for free (you still have to pay the taxes associated with it though) just because of this.

[Chgoman]

Okay I did a little looking and there's actually a lot of Dry loop DSL out there now. With AT&T it would have been a $10 premium over their DSL rates with a phone line. They ended up offering me the same phone plan I currently have for $20 less a month which makes it really cheap now, so the added cost of the Dry loop DSL and uping my cell phone minutes won't save me any money any more. Gotta love what they'll offer you when they think they are going to lose you.

[zippyjuan]

I guess I am officially an "oldie" now. Land lining it. My bill is usually less than $50 a month- and sometimes even less depending on how much I call which isn't very much.

[Chgoman]

I got AT&T to give me pretty much all their 'add on' services, the basic line and local and long distance included for $30 per month. As long as I have that, it doens't make sense for me tot drop them. Going to dry loop DSL would cost $10 extra and I'd have to up my cell phone minutes for me and my wife by at least the other $20 if we dropped the land line, so for now, I stay wired in.