Landline Holders Increasingly Older, More Affluent 616
netbuzz writes "More than a quarter of the under-30 crowd has decided you only need one telephone — and it sure as heck does not plug into a wall. The trend towards an all-mobile lifestyle is accelerating, according to a new survey. Besides younger people, lower-income people are also more likely to have cut the cord. And while businesses may be a bit slower on the cell-only uptake, there appears to be little doubt at this point that the traditional landline will be joining rotary dials and party lines as a relic of the telecommunications industry."
Kind of a concern (Score:2, Interesting)
Oh yeah, I'm over 30. So what.
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm just barely under 30 (I'll be turning 29 in a couple months), and I've been landline-free since shortly after purchasing a home in 2003. I found that the extra ~$25/mo for a landline was completely wasted since I
- Never used it
- Didn't need it for DSL or Tivo
- Rarely made any phone calls while at home
- The only people calling me on it were phone spam for charities and crap
For me, it made financial sense to save the extra $25/mo I was paying for basic service. My cell works just about everywhere, including Canada (though I have to roam, which I'm fine with as I rarely go to Canada), I always have it on me, and the $40/mo plan I'm on gives me 1000 minutes a month with free, unlimited nights and weekends. However, I'm also an anomoly in terms of phone usage for my age group. I spend an average of < 30 minutes a month on the phone, as most of my calls generally sound something like, "Hey it's me. Yeah, I'll see you in a few minutes." I upgraded to a RAZR last fall, but otherwise I keep my phones for several years. I've been month-to-month on my current plan since 2002 when my initial contract expired, and I'd rather pay for my own phone than re-up a contract to get a "free" phone.Personally, I couldn't go back to using a landline. It's a useless technology for me, and as long as I have cell coverage I'm happy.
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:5, Insightful)
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It wouldn't suprise me if we live in the same area.
During that entire time, my cell phone continued to work perfectly. I used my car to keep the battery charged.
I live in a rural area, we have fewer towers to lock onto, and I was told by my wireless company that service would be restored according trouble tickets and population density.
Your experience prompted you to get a landli
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:5, Informative)
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I leave a very simple (requires no wall power) phone plugged into the land line, which is not activated, for exactly this purpose. I use my cell exclusively (work pays the bill) and if I need 911 and the cell is unusable I can go to the regular phone.
If I ever decide I need a phone line in the house, I'll shop around for Voip.
I know lots of people that have gone this same route.
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Really crappy that they can get away with this. Fortunatly there is a disconnected phone line going into the hous
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If they ever fix the coverage out at our house, we'll think about dropping the land line, but as it is, it's the only 99%+ reliable communications we have, and phone service is conside
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I spend an average of 30 minutes a month on the phone
I have the same idea about phones, only about 30 minutes a month. When I finally switched from my old "big bag" analog phone (jus in March), I went for T-Mobile minutes only. I bought a RAZR for $160, and 1000 minutes for $100. I used about ~300 minutes in the first month, but dropped down a lot since then. What I like, is the flat rate ten cents a minute. So the first month was about $30, but much lower since. It's a lot less than $40 per month...
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Re:Kind of a concern (Score:5, Insightful)
Everybody likes the convenience of a cellphone... the younger you are the more conversant with technology you are, so you are more likely to have one. If you only have one phone - older people will have landlines, younger people will have cellphones. Just as in 1990 younger people embraced computer word processors while many older people still used typewriters.
No surprise there.
As for landlines being skewed against low-income its simple. If you can only afford one phone (or only wish to afford one phone) the mobile is infinitely more flexible. If I had to choose between cutting my landline (ok ok voip line) or cellular bill, it would be a no brainer - the landline would go.
So no surprise there either.
In my case the only reason I have even a voip line in addition to a cell is I run a small business and wanted an 'office line'. The voip bundles free N.A. long distance, good intl rates, caller id, voicemail, and some pretty decent call management features all for a price less than what I used to pay for landline.
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Like, duh.
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Many of these idiots even call from home, say something like "sorry, only keep a cell phone and it's reception at home is bad", and then get anoyed (At me!) the fifth time I have to say "I'm sorry what did you say?".
If the other person is obviously not hearing you clearly, then you don't have a good enough signal. Just because
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:4, Informative)
No, outside the US, most mobile phones work on a caller-pays basis, just like landlines.
A lot of people prefer it like this - that way, whoever initiates the service usage pays for it, like most services, as opposed to you being at the mercy of whoever decides to call you a lot (tele-marketers, jerks, but I repeat myself, etc).
For example, I'm on a pay-as-you-go plan here in the UK - I certainly don't want people using up my credit if I don't want them to.
I think the US norm of callee-pays originally stemmed from the inability of the billing system/incumbent networks to cope with the other way, due to various limitations (but I could be wrong; it's been a while since I heard that, and my memory may be faulty).
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:4, Interesting)
I think the cellphone provider cartel in the US just wanted some extra cash. All phones in the US work on a caller-pays basis (other than included "free" minutes and various deals), including mobiles. But cell companies double-dip by having incoming, as well as outgoing, cellphone calls use up monthly minutes included in the plan, and charging the cell owner when those minutes aren't included.
Re:Kind of a concern (Score:5, Insightful)
What? A model where the person performing the action pays for it. I call that logical and consider the US system anti-competitive.
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Businesses... (Score:4, Interesting)
It would be interesting if a wireless carrier introduced PBX-esque switching and operation. If service is good enough (a factor I'd assume holds most people back from ditching the land line), I'm sure a lot of small businesses would forgo a PBX-based telephone for a more easily set-up wireless based system.
I'd certainly get a cell phone with blinky lights that indicate a call coming through on line three!
How about VoIP + wireless? (Score:5, Interesting)
And THAT is why it will be a while before businesses get rid of their lines. You want the cleanest voice connections you can get. Yo don nt c st m rs o ha e t dea ith al s re ki g p.
Mobility over quality (Score:5, Interesting)
That's fine if that's what you value. Me, after many stubborn years, I've learned the fine art of the two hour phone call. And that takes a quality phone line where you can hear the other party breathe. Otherwise, it's just multitasking distractions. Yuck. I do too much of that at work to want to run my personal life that way.
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Re:Mobility over quality (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, I am over 30... thanks for asking. I'm a member of the "hear a pin drop" generation of telephony users, whose standards appear to be a bit higher than the kids', and who just might have a bit of perspective that the under-30 set has yet to achieve. Don't get me wrong: I have and use a cell phone. But I have and use a landline more often, because I've come to depend on the features it offers... and which wireless does not.
Maybe the teens of today will change their standards when their hearing starts to deteriorate. Maybe they'll just never know what they're missing... and not miss it. I don't know. But I do know that you'll have to pry my wired handset from my cold, dead fingers. And I don't plan for that to happen for another 40-50 years.
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On second thought... I think many 3rd world countries would be in an uproar if they had the kind of service you describe.
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Not those kinds of features, sure for custom rings or a wallpaper my mobile is much better ... but for a phone that I'd actually want to be speaking/listening to for 1-3 hours, then mobile looses everytime.
My answering machine cost like $10. And I pay that once. But for another "feature", I'd be very surprised if international calling wa
I'm in that category (Score:4, Informative)
I'm in that category - I own a mobile, but unfortunately, here in Australia, you need to rent a landline from the monopoly PSTN provider (Telstra) if you want to have broadband internet (ADSL anyway).
So I have a landline I never use.
God they're filthy (Telstra) - hopefully we'll have a change of Government soon & get rid of the current spineless Prime Minister John Howard - who can't stand up to Telstra.
Re:I'm in that category (Score:4, Insightful)
Blame the silver-spooners for selling our goddamned infrastructure.
The only thing worse than a public monopoly is a private one, and we don't need multiple networks.
For me in Aus it's others (Score:3, Informative)
In the US isn't it the case where the receiver pays? It was something like that for txt messages etc when I was over there, thereby making mobile spam horrid as you ended up being charged for receiving spam, whereas here in Aus if they spam you i
Re:For me in Aus it's others (Score:4, Informative)
The only time you pay overcharges is if you exceed your airtime allotment, or you place a long distance call to a place that isn't included. Most plans include the entire US, so any call in the US is considered local. However they generally don't include international calls so you pay per minute for the call, same as you do with a landline. International calls to you are no different than any other, you don't pay anything other than airtime.
The net effect is that so long as you don't exceed your minutes, there tends to be no extra charges over the monthly plan rate.
Re:I'm in that category (Score:4, Interesting)
So I have a landline I never use.
Yes, you do. You use it for DSL. How else do expect to get ADSL other than over a landline ?
God they're filthy (Telstra) - hopefully we'll have a change of Government soon & get rid of the current spineless Prime Minister John Howard - who can't stand up to Telstra.
Huh ? The Australian Government regulates the hell out of Telstra (and a good thing, too, given the circumstances).
Bandwidth? (Score:4, Interesting)
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that's sort of like saying that if blue light stops shining, won't red light get brighter? (not to be condescending)
the phone calls and the dsl signal are handled by completely different machinery inside the central offices.
except for the splitter in the DSLAM that overlays the two signals (at two very different frequency ranges) on the same wire it's all separate. the internet traffic goes through the DSLAM and up/out through a DS3 or OC3, while the plain old phone (POTS) traffic gets directed through
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Annex I in the ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standards allows the upstream channel* to start start at tone 1 (4.3125 KHz) instead of tone 6 (25.875 KHz). Obviously, you don't get POTS in this mode - it's meant as an all-digital design for telco VOIP roll-out. It doesn't buy you all that much - 15 bits/tone * 5 tones * 4Khz data symbol rate = 260 Kbits/second. That's the theoretical maximum and most likely its going to much less than that since most existing modems weren't designed with thi
Not much, (Score:3, Informative)
Party lines? (Score:2)
Re:Party lines? (Score:4, Informative)
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Needless to say this meant that every time you wanted to place a call, you'd risk interrupting your neighbors' conversations. It was cheaper to hook
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My grandmother LOVED it.
The phone would ring. She would wait until the ringing stopped. Then pick up the phone to listen.
I would say "Grandma, quit being so nosey".
She would say "I'm not nosey. I'm informed."
The line was noisy enough that noone would notice she was listening in (or hear me tell my grandma she was being nosey, for that matter).
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They were common in rural areas until the mid to late 80's even though most towns and cities had moved away from them long before then (which kind of puts them in the same league as telephone company-owned phones).
I remember the farm my family owns still being on a party line when I was visiting my grandmother there as a kid (and I'm under 30). I was very glad when the phone company changed all of that - the other woman on that lin
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Cons: Only one phone could have a conversation at a time since the copper is shared. Needs seperate ring patterns so you know who needs to answer.
Pros: You can answer your phone if visiting next door if they're on the same party line. You can make "local calls" to others on the party line without going through the exchange.
Re:Party lines? (Score:5, Informative)
A party line is a single telephone line that you share with your neighbors. They were common in rural areas of the U.S. before WWII, probably becuase they were cheaper than dedicated phone lines (remember, back then each line was on a different physical circuit, and calls were switched by human operators).
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Each one had a different telephone number and they had their own distinct ring for each number, but it was the same copper pair in each of the four homes on the line.
I don't think they went out of service as long ago as you think.
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One had to be very careful what was said as often other neighbors would listen in on a conversation. Most conversations were brief and old people still have brief conversations from habit even though they might have a dedicated line today.
Our telephone number was 226.
If an emergency was occurr
Cutting the cord (Score:5, Interesting)
Besides, don't DSL companies still charge you the $10 or so for a landline?
Anyone care to suggest a cell phone provider in Toronto that won't get my blood pressure up (too much?
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In fact this is why I got a landline. I don't want to pay for TV I don't watch and that will distract my kids, and I don't want wireless because I don't trust it.
pricing games (Score:5, Insightful)
It's the same as credit card promotions, grocery club cards and coupons, mail-in rebates, etc. You and I may realize how pointless all these offers are, but so many people love playing the game and thinking they got a great deal by finding the perfect plan that was made Just For Them. Nobody does anything unless there's some game aspect to it - warfare, terrorism, finance, dating, business, taxes, politics, you name it. We are so desperate to play games that we'll create them even for things as ridiculous as cell calling plans.
And more importantly for the industry, the pricing games allow them to avoid to avoid their service becoming a simple commodity. If the plans reflected their actual cost structure they would simply charge per bit, and fierce competition would quickly drive everyone's margins to nothing. But as long as they keep it a marketing game of adding ridiculous "value add" services and tricking you into complicated pricing traps, they can keep gouging.
How do you handle guests and extensions? (Score:5, Insightful)
So how do you handle extensions? You know, someone calls you, and you want to say, "Honey, pick up an extension." so you can talk together. Do you just 3-way the call?
And how do you handle guests? Do you simply assume that if they want to make a call, they just use their own cell phone?
I certainly have nothing against cell phones, I jut never really felt a pressing need.
Oh, and how do you handle devices that need to "dial home" periodically? (ReplayTV box, DirecTV box, etc.)
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Put the phone on speaker.
Yes. Or they can use my cell if they must, but I'd rather they use their cell. That's what I do when I'm a guest, so why should I do otherwise for guests of mine?
Re:How do you handle guests and extensions? (Score:5, Funny)
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I must have been corrupted by cells because I had to stare at that sentence for a minute before I realized what you meant.
All good points.
Biggest problem with cell phones is reliability of getting calls. If you forget to take your phone, forget to charge it, forget to turn it on, there's no warning that you're now off the grid. It's a little pet that needs constant care.
How long till the telemarketers get their hooks in (Score:5, Interesting)
If we do go all-cellular, I wonder if the legislation about telemarketers being unable to call cell phones would change. I'm praying it won't -- I've been enjoying the peace and quiet, quite frankly.
Re:How long till the telemarketers get their hooks (Score:2)
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Land lines are a huge revenue earner for the telcos, but it's not seen as a growth area. Cell phones and Enterprise VoIP are where they're going.
Paul McNamara, I suggest you get a different job. (Score:5, Insightful)
Cell phones are nowhere near as reliable as land lines, and all VOIP phones are worse. Not only that, but cell phone providers and VOIP providers save money by being unreliable, and there is no evidence that they plan to change their behavior.
I think you know this. That makes your lies fraud, in my opinion.
I guess your handlers call themselves NetBuzz because they think they are good at advertising. But they aren't. They and you are just liars, in my opinion.
Everyone who needs reliable telephone service has land lines, and there is no evidence that will change in the near future.
Anyhow, we don't want your kind corrupting our discussions of technology on Slashdot. Stay away.
Re:Paul McNamara, I suggest you get a different jo (Score:2)
My VoIP experience has been great. (Score:3, Interesting)
Speakeasy (my provider) assures decent QoS. Of course it still relies on a solid internet connection - and that's absolutely what it's been for me with Speakeasy in the 4+ years I've been with them.
I realize not all VoIP providers do this, but if you're willing to do a bit of investigation, you'll find that there are a few companies that do provide it. They won't be cheap, but if you're tired of the crap customer service provided by the Bells (the new AT&T), it's a decent, valid o
Landline free (Score:2)
Landlines are better (Score:5, Insightful)
What? Can you repeat that? (Score:5, Funny)
I look forward to guessing the meaning of all my calls in the future
OH PLEASE (Score:5, Insightful)
How about the slow adoption rate being because many businesses have their own PBXs and want to control their voice mail? For many companies, switching to wireless phones simply isn't a viable solution and probably won't be for a long time. Sure, they're more reliable than they used to be, but they're still not as reliable as POTS. Keeping track mobile phones may also be difficult. Example: My mom's work phone still had service over 6 months after she quit her job.
Additionally, many companies would probably be reluctant to outsource their voicemail for security and confidentiality purposes. Besides, do you really want to answer work calls wherever you go? Talk about taking your work home with you. Work phones should stay in the office. If employees want to answer calls on the road, maybe their employer should consider some kind of call forwarding functionality. Juggling multiple phones for home/work/etc is not something I'm interested in.
Not until coverage improves (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't have decent cellular coverage in my house, and I live one mile from downtown Palo Alto in Silicon Valley. Five cellular stores (not counting the Apple store) within walking distance, and I have to go to a window to get more than one bar on the phone. Gigahertz RF doesn't go through trees, you know.
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This is obviously some definition of "dirt cheap" with which I am not familiar.
Rotary Phone Disorder (Score:3, Insightful)
Voip? (Score:2)
I think that POTS is dead, and just does not know it. There is a use to VOIP at home, and cell while you are away from home.
*(Now if I could just find a good FXO solution for my Asterisk Unslung NSLU2 at home... No, not for regular POTS.)
Poor Cell Signal = Landline For Me (Score:5, Funny)
*sigh*
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May I point out all the possibilities that you could enjoy by moving into the attic instead?
Duh ... ? (Score:2)
But it reminds me of two other posts which led to a purchase of mine.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/08/014221 8 [slashdot.org]
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/12/26/17 59210 [slashdot.org]
Just because you're not paying for land-line service doesn't mean those wires in your walls need to go to waste, nor do you need to put up with lousy cell signals in your home. I'd like to see this s
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Early adopters vs. luddites (Score:3, Interesting)
In some ways that's kinda sad... (Score:3, Funny)
I wonder at the survey results... (Score:3, Insightful)
How accurate is this? (I obviously need to go find the original survey). I know my own circle of friends - perhaps thirty people, all mid-20s, all professionals with good incomes and mixed race, and I can't think of a single person who has a landline. Maybe we're all on the cutting edge of pacific northwest young-adult culture, but the survey numbers from this study seemed way low.
Don't care to be always "available"... (Score:3)
I'm not interested in being available all the time, or talking while driving, eating, or whatever. People who need to contact me have my work and home numbers and can leave a message if I'm not there.
While I'll agree cell phones can be useful, their (general) necessity is overrated.
Now stop TXTing on my lawn!
Aha! (Score:3, Funny)
So that explains the grey hair I found this morning! It's my damn landline.
Personally I detest mobiles (Score:5, Insightful)
I also value my private time and don't feel a need to be contactable 24/7.
Finally, being slightly risk averse, I don't like having a small microwave transmitter next to my brain for prolonged periods of time.
Security Systems (Score:5, Interesting)
What about the sun? (Score:5, Informative)
"The last solar maximum [wikipedia.org] was in 2001, and on 10 March 2006 NASA researchers announced that the next cycle would be the strongest since the historic maximum in 1958 in which northern lights could be seen as far south as Mexico."
Aren't we just one or two Coronal Mass Ejections from having all our satellites (and cell service among others) go kerflooey?
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As long as we're worrying about things we have no control of, I'd like to point out that we're also one asteroid impact away from wholesale extinction.
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Satellites are screwed, but the atmosphere blocks most radiation before it can reach cell phone towers. Anything strong enough to screw them up would also probably fry us.
All the plans suck (Score:3)
All the cell phone plans suck. First of all, I don't want a phone from the service provider for various reasons (avoiding lock-in, ability to change when I want, getting one to my liking). I'll buy my own phone and then choose a provider. Second, I don't want term plans. I want to just sign up, get competitive per minute rates, and pay month-to-month. I don't even mind pre-paying. But the pre-pay services now are overly expensive (it's a plan intended to rape the lower economic classes).
As soon as a cell phone service provider figures out they will be very competitive with a "plan" that provides the lowest, or near lowest, per minute rates, reliable coverage, and no term period for those who "bring your own phone" (BYOP), then I'd be ready to cut the cord. In fact, I may well just cut the cord and not get any cell service at all since everyone who does call I don't want to talk to or listen to anyway.
Depends on where you live (Score:3)
I guess it depends on where you live. I live in Vermont, and my landline costs me ~$35 a month. A single-line cell would be $50 for a bottom-of-the-barrel plan, plus another $20 for a line for my wife.
I'd definitely do it if I had the scratch, though. Not sure how that would effect my having DSL.
Just a minute here... (Score:3)
And yet I prefer to use my Western Electric 500 -- with a metal dial -- because it's more comfortable and sounds better. A flip-type phone and an mp3 file of a real telephone bell help somewhat but aren't the full deal.
Same in the US (Score:2)
I'm one of them. Too far out for DSL or wireless, and my only choices are very slow dial-up or satellite. Now I would love to ditch the phone and just use my work cell phone, but I'm not sure about satellite. I've just heard so many bad things. Heck, I even used to work for a satellite dealer, and I hated our demo...but I have heard they have made some improvements since I did that.
Transporter_ii
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Re:you don't need phone service on your landline (Score:4, Interesting)
Here telstra owns the landlines, to use them for ANYTHING you have to pay line rental, the cheapest way to pay line rental is a basic telstra home phone service.
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In NZ, Telecom (who 'own' the copper network) were saying that it costs them as enormous amount
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As others have pointed out there's also the issue of Telstra, who own most of the copper, being run by a bunch of jerks in suits.
Bad news, buddy... (Score:2)
AT&T. Your World. Delivered. Straight to the NSA. [jabberwonk.com]