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The landline may not be dead

Posted by: Meg Thilmony

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 5:02 PM

This week, Smile Politely contributor Brock Peoples posts that he and his family are getting rid of their cell phones and getting a land line.

It's an effort to live more simply, he writes, and he and his wife decided a cell phone isn't crucial to their lifestyle.

That's a pretty big step, especially at a time when more and more people are adding Web and e-mail capabilities to their cell phones. I was just discussing with a friend that when we're older, more and more people will rely on their cell phones only.

It just doesn't make sense for people like myself to get land lines. My cell phone is always with me, while I'm not home much. Plus, I live in an apartment - not really a permanent arrangement for me. There's no shuffling of accounts and service if I move.

It's just another way technology is changing society. What will the phone book look like in 25 years, or even 10? I guessing it will be a lot thinner, at least if no one figures out a way to compile cell phone numbers. And even then, a list like that will probably be online. It will put more emphasis on personal networking, that's for sure. You won't be able to look up your kid's friends' parents. That's how my parents used to check up on me.

But then again, it works for Peoples. My mom swears by her landline. She refuses to get a cell phone, even if it would be a more convenient way for me to communicate with her.

What about you? Do you still have a landline? If you've had a cell phone since college, like me, did you ever bother getting one? I'm interested in hearing if anyone out there identifies with Peoples.

Comments

I have a landline simply because it came as part of my cable services deal. I would imagine that as soon as my 1 year special is up, that we will drop our landline. We use it VERY RARELY, so it just isn't a dire necessity. As to your comment about technology...I think that we are quickly becoming a "want it now" generation and will continue to rapidly grow in that direction. How long will it be until cash becomes extinct because ATM/Debit cards are just must more convenient?

Posted by luvzelvis2 on July 3, 2008 at 10:38 AM

I'd never thought about cash going extinct, but I rarely carry it. Swiping a card is just so much easier.

Posted by mthilmony on July 3, 2008 at 2:56 PM

Traditional POTS (plain old telephone service) Land Lines will go the way of the dodo as soon as broadband reaches the sticks -- I pay $22 a month for Vonage and we use it as much as we want(VOIP - voice over IP/Internet) previously we were paying $30-40 for basic phone service, and more if we actually use it.

Cell phones will take over even more once they become more economical and reliable... when we go to grandma's house none of our cell phones work.

Cable is going to have to watch out too though -- over-the-air HiDefinition is really, really nice (better than the HD you get on cable because it's overcompressed -- better AND FREE), and you get 3 channels of WILL-PBS in HD.

If you stop getting the contract plans with the latest cell phones and find a pay-as-you-go minutes plan you can really save some $$$ as well as not have to worry about your minutes expiring.

Posted by dw on July 5, 2008 at 9:23 PM

From the article:

To be fair, we are not completely without cellular service. We did pick up a pre-paid phone to take with us when were out of town or when we have left our baby with a sitter. This phone is for very limited-use, however.

Huh. Well then. Still an admirable goal. My wife and I need to implement a 'no blackberry at dinner/lunch time' and 'no computer' time past X plan.

Posted by dw on July 5, 2008 at 9:52 PM

DW, Did you actually replace your landline with Vonage? Can you call other telephones with it, or just other computers?

And I agree about cable. Another competitor could be fiber optic. My parents have it and get an awesome deal for their television and super-fast Internet. Plus a landline. It would be interesting to see how many people keep their landlines just because it's a part of their package.

Posted by mthilmony on July 7, 2008 at 8:53 AM

I particularly hope my parents never get rid of their land line. I would feel totally adrift if I knew I couldn't call the number I had for my whole life!

Posted by algon on July 7, 2008 at 11:54 AM

Land line is completely replaced with Vonage. Same phone number we had for like ever 13-18 years or so... some are transferrable, some are not. Works like a dream, and the cost per month is fixed (we went with the $14 & 500 minutes plan, but the free minutes are so much we've never gone past that I know of) so after taxes and other miscellaneous fees it's always between $21-22, and wife works from home.

Posted by dw on July 13, 2008 at 4:11 PM

There are some 911 issues (need to register your number location) but it's nothing that a cell phone user isn't used to already.

Posted by dw on July 13, 2008 at 4:12 PM