The End of the Line for Landlines?

I plan to keep my land line as long as possible for a few reasons.

1. I live in Florida, in 2004 my home was affected by 4 hurricanes over about a 6 week span. During which time there were numerous power outages sometimes for 12 hours. Long after cell phones died, we were still able to use our land line.
2. Cell phone reception in our house is not the greatest. Verizon seems to be much better than AT&T or Sprint
3. Despite the inconclusiveness of the 'cell phones cause brain tumors' paranoia, I prefer to err on the side of caution and not subject my children, who's neurological development is still taking place, to a potentially harmful product.

While on a work assignment in South Korea from Jan 2009 through May 2010 I Vonnage. It worked well and was happy with the quality of the service. From time to time I had some minor service disruptions, but I'm not sure if that was because of Vonnage or because of my internet service provider.

I've considered dropping the land line reluctant only because the extended family considers it the "home phone". This is good food for thought. I think I'll dig a little deeper to see if I can replace the same service, and phone #, for fewer $$. Thanks!

I live in the Santa Cruz mountains of California at the ragged edge of cell phone service. Me and my neighbor share a long spur 12KV power line with Comcast and regular phone lines strung lower on the poles. Couple of years ago a fir tree fell through the power and Comcast lines and broke them. It stretched the phone line to the ground but didn't break it. The phone worked just fine so I could call the electric company and give a detailed description of the situation.

In 1989 before the time of cell phones Loma Prieta earthquake damage knocked out power for several days thoughout our rural region. During all this time the land phone lines worked just fine.

This is a very robust and reliable system.

We will be fools to listen to special interests (specially interested in increasing their own profits) and dismantle the telephone wired infrastructure. But there is nothing new about American foolishness. Case in point: Californians "bought the kool aid" from General Motors 65 years ago and went on to scrap an extensive electric railway interurban system in order to enable GM to make a successful business of selling busses. Now all they have is choked highways and 5 mph commutes to show for their "wisdom".

We regularly use Skype for overseas phone calls to Asia. It's cheap but the quality of the audio and reliability of the service is terrible. Often we have to go over to conventional phone to communicate on important matters. Maybe Skype is OK for children; but if you have serious adult communication requirements Skype is a joke.

Ed Weldon

I don't know how new that information is, but I think it would be safe to say that by now, it has inched well over 22.7%. I have not had a land line for over five years. And since it has been that long, I'm also locked in at 2006 prices, so I'm paying very little for my cell.

Of course if you live in an area of scarce coverage, it wouldn't make sense. But for the majority of us, that is not an issue. I travel often and call all over the country. Have no problems, ever. And don't pay a dime more to call Arizona, or New York or Alaska.

As far as brain tumors, well there's enough stuff to worry about in life besides stressing over those types of theories. If it turns out to be true, I'll sue them in that class action suit when I'm 85, and live my last years in luxury.

I don't stress over the brain tumor theories, am applying what I consider to be sound reasoning to conflicting information regarding cell phone use.

I do not want to saddle my children with something that may be avoided. Especially when it does them no harm to do without a cell phone and potentially can save them from having to be involved in a class action suit later in life, which they may likely not win. Once they are adults they can make their own choice.

As for me, I am aware of the reported risks and use a cell phone, but limit my use as a precaution. I prefer to live my life without luxury but have a fully functional brain than a life of luxury missing part of it.

My cell phone is just for emergency and rare long distance use, and I am glad that I haven't needed to use it for the former case at all, since the landline system does a much better job for me. The landline always works when the power is out, so there isn't a concern about dead cellphone batteries that there is no electricity to recharge. Also, I don't have to occasionally replace the phone or any batteries on the landline system.

The power often going out is a valid case for having a land line and a cell phone, if you live in an area where that is a common occurrence, of course.

But the annual cost of paying for both services is exponentially higher, as compared to the possible and rare cost of replacing a battery. Once in 5 years for me.

Also, if you have both, but only use the cell phone rarely, the battery will die faster than if you use it often and charge it often. I'm not 100% sure on that fact, but I believe it is true. Perhaps someone could enlighten me on that?

In either case, I'm simply stating that in an area where there are few power outages, and where there is good coverage, it doesn't make economical sense, for many people, to have both. If cost is no issue... than by all means have the convenience of having both. But then you run into the hassle of people needing to know two different phone numbers for you.

But to each, his own. I just can't find a way to justify the cost of both. The advantages of a land line in addition to a cell are no advantage to me, personally. There are more disadvantages of having both (cost, 2 phone numbers, confusion of people trying to reach me, etc.) And I'll easily choose cell over land line if given a choice of just one.

There are some other factors that make a landline helpful to me. I don't have satellite or cable and get the internet through the wired phone line. Also, my cell phone service is prepaid per minute since I rarely need to use it. I purchase something like 200 minutes every three months for $20, so that amounts to about $7 per month.

My battery has only lasted for not even two years, for some reason. It has lost most of its charge storage capacity already.

The End of the Line for Landline?

I have considerable trouble in sending or receiving a Cell/Mobile signal where I live. I am still fighting my provider for an improved service. Currently I cannot send or receive a Mobile Signal without some additional aids! I am still awaiting the aid!

So Cell/mobile is out for me and I am not very rural!

The cell system is hampered by poor propogation due to a knife edge diffraction issue - the enhancement system proposed by my cell provider is to use my broadband system to enhance the cell - we shall see. Due to appear on Monday coming!!

Landline continues to be of a working kind - but the add on walk about phones ( DECT) do not appear to be very strong. It would be nice to have a choice between two or more rival systems!

If things improve or get worse I will post further.

Sleepy

Hate cell phones. I have one for emergency uses, such as when I'm traveling in a car, etc. But I'd much rather talk on a land line... not to mention the real health risks. If I were to use one regularly, I'd invest in a headphone set to keep the little bugger away from my head.

Gave up landline year or so ago. Have not missed the solicitor calls and push polls from the politicians, despite having signed up for do not call list. Don't miss it at all.

milo

The ONLY reason I still have a land line is for 911 service. Yes, I know, cell phones have it, sort of, but you have to answer questions to give a location. If you can't answer these then you're sool....

Guys,

I pomised an update if the situation changes here.

Landline still good but I hate the little (DECT) phones that we make and buy these days.

On cell/Mobile I now have a gadget on my window sill supplied by my provider, Vodafone, which is effectively a femtocell for my home. Certainly works better than without it; it took a little while to get set up right. But I now have working landline and mobile systems.

I do not intend to dispense with either of these, they cost very little if you choose the right package for you and I always have something that works; the landline wil provide the 999 (Emergency service) {911} to you folks. The nominal charge for the femtocell is about £50 but was not paid by me as an agreement to continue to use the service. I do not know whether this system is available in the USA.

The only downside is that this system relys upon my Broadband connection, this is the most tempremental part of the entire telephone system here! But we could be moving to Fibre Optic in the future.

This has been working successfully for the past 3 to 5 months.

Sleepy