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OL September 12, 2008 at 7:31 pm

Do you still need a landline?

A new study by Harris Interactive and the CTIA wireless organization found 40 percent of teenagers don’t want a landline. Do you?


Teen_phoneA new study by Harris Interactive and the CTIA wireless organization found 40 percent of teenagers don’t want a landline. Do you?

An online survey of 2,089 U.S. teens, ages 13 to 19, yielded some interesting results: about 75 percent of those surveyed said they plan on having a mobile phone as long as they live, while about 40 percent believe a mobile phone is the only phone they’ll ever need.

I’m sure this number will go down when these teens get older and realize other people – like, um, their family – will still need to chat even though they might be out and about!

Conducted by Harris Interactive and the CTIA wireless organization, the study also found mobile devices are the no.1 status item among teens, followed by jewelry/watch and shoes/sneakers.

Other interesting findings:

* 79 percent of all teens have a mobile device
* Roughly 15 percent own a smart phone.
* Almost 50 percent of those surveyed said they’d “die” without their mobile phone
* 90 percent text message

So, could you go without your landline? Do you even have one?


Filed Under: Found on the Web




Comments (50)

  • Ron A says:

    I actually dropped my cell / wasn't using it enough to justify the monthly$$. Of course, as soon as I did, I had a couple of situations……………. Now considering replacing the land line……….with a cell each…..

    (Report comment)

  • B Frank says:

    The alarm in my place didn't work well with my VOIP line and internet connectivity is unreliable – Sometimes a physical line makes sense when you need reliable connectivity.

    Hardlines don't need recharging and DIE from lack of power. Emergency services KNOW where you are and you can't LOSE your land line. Cell networks FAIL during emergencies.

    (Report comment)

  • heb says:

    It's not just teenagers. I have 25 tenants and about 1/4 of them don't have a landline. These are single people in their late 20s to late 40s. If I didn't need to receive faxes at home, I'd cancel my landline as well.

    (Report comment)

  • Johanne Savoie says:

    Your privacy when making landline calls is protected by law. Not so with VoIP. Anyone can hack into your communications at any time. And with politicians such as George Bush re-writing the American constitution to award themselves all kinds of rights to spy on your communications, the landline is an investment in your future privacy. The privacy which is your constitutional right. Why, if the government can spy on you now, after the loss of a mere two buildings (which fell under very suspicious circumstances) just imagine… A landline is your best hedge against future government corruption.

    Also, landlines most often work after natural disasters…

    (Report comment)

  • Robert Proctor says:

    Since a GPS is built into every cell phone to track your every move, and since cell phone conversations are easy to listen into, I suggest you do keep your landline if you want to keep some privacy.

    (Report comment)

  • Laura says:

    Why does anyone with intelligence even need to question the answer?
    The points listed in the article and posted comments are good, but there are a couple of things past what was mentioned that need to be remembered. In the event of a major emergency there are a few things that will occur; the system will get flooded (my family were among those that could not check on love ones during 9/11 [there was a second reason for this which was the communication tower was suddenly gone (and much harder to replace than lines, I mean the antennas I am not making loss of all the other losses that day)], and even during the major area blackout), landlines are much more difficult to overload and easier to bypass if something happens to them. If the power is off long enough you will have trouble charging it, where as the land lines can operate independently (here it is important to note that no household should be without a plain non-plugged-in phone, as cordless and hose that need power will become useless. They don't need to be used all the time, they just need to be available). If the problems are wide enough emergency services may not be able to find you with your cell phone (even with possible GPS), but a landline is locked to that current location. Also, in the event of an emergency the phone lines to an area could be used to pass information, and a cell phone not indigenous to the area would be overlooked (if they could even figure out what cells should be called).

    If something happens to your cell phone in everyday life you have a relatively inexpensive back-up (I've forgotten mine many times at friends and family and this has been my stop-gap and even my way of letting them know about my cell).
    Your landline could be your safety zone too, as in business (like job interviews and acquaintances get a standard/clean/straight forward message, and family & friends get your funky cell message.)

    I should say that I do love my cell and plan to have one always (and I hope to upgrade to a smart phone soon). It is my primary, but I always have a landline too.

    (Report comment)

  • shaunie says:

    enjoy brain cancer, everyone!

    (Report comment)

  • Yvette says:

    Would be nice if there were more land line companies to choose from, but I still have to have one. Cell phones are SOO expensive people don't realize it. Land lines are dirt cheap in comparison and I pay as you go for emergencies. It's pathetic how people talk on their cell phones non stop (excluding people running their own business)for things that could wait.

    (Report comment)

  • James MacDonald says:

    I converted my landline phone this Spring to my smartphone BUT I still have a landline for my Internet & as a backup in emergencies. By the way, I have been a cell phone user for nearly 15 years & the service has been excellent.

    (Report comment)

  • Sarah says:

    I'm seventeen, and I own my own cell phone. I use it to keep in touch with my parents since I also have a car and tend to go "missing". If I didn't live with my parents and have a car I probably wouldn't have a cell phone; it's just to keep them happy.

    When I move out I plan on cancelling my cell phone and just getting a landline.

    (Report comment)

  • Sarah says:

    My partner and I have a basement apartment, and both of us have our own cell phones. We are both in our early 20s and do not feel that as of now, a landline is a necessary expense.

    Once we have established ourselves and are able to buy our own house, it will definitely be one of the first things we get.

    We've talked about it in passing before, and one nice thing about a landline in a house is that whoever is calling can speak to other parties in the house, not just the specific person they were calling to talk to. For example, if my parents were to call, and he answered the landline, then they would have a brief introduction, promoting social networking. However, if my parents just called me on my cell phone, chances are they will only ever speak to me.

    (Report comment)

  • CB says:

    obviously teens are still thinking like children and not like adults.
    i have a landline and my bf and i each have our own cell phones.
    you need a landline because not only is it cheaper than a cell phone but it rarely goes out of service where as a cell phone costs a lot of money monthly and you're not always in a service area.
    if you need to call 911 and you live in a basement apartment you definitely need a landline.
    if my children want a cell phone one day they will have to have a job and pay for it themselves, parents give in too easily to the demands of their children. it's time to say NO. they don't need everything their friends have.

    (Report comment)

  • froggie says:

    My land line (when I had one) cost $75 a month for the level of service I need; my cell phone costs $46 a month. CB, since when does thinking like a SINGLE person equal thinking like a child? I am a busy single working person in my 30's, and when I'm home I'm usually either eating or sleeping, and don't want to be disturbed. At no time do I yak on the phone just for something to do! When I had a land line, 5 out of every 6 calls I received were telemarketers or people collecting for charities. Why should I pay an extra bill to be constantly disturbed by annoying strangers? My cell suits me just fine… and I'm not worried about brain cancer, because I keep my calls to a minimum and use email for more in-depth communication.

    (Report comment)

  • Canadian in Seoul says:

    I'm a Canadian living in Seoul and here no one actually needs a landline. Everyone has a cell phone and it's very inexpensive to have one. It looks like Canada is going the same route.

    (Report comment)

  • Gail says:

    I haven't had a landline sine 1999. I am also a landlord and have never had a tenant who needed a hook up to a landline because everyone just uses their cell. Get with the times people I have no idea why people would be hanging onto a landline unless they needed it for internet or something like that.

    (Report comment)

  • Chels says:

    I agree. My cell phone number is given out to everyone. I have a land line but never-ever use it, except for long distance calls which generally is more expensive on a cell phone. Other than my long distance family members though, I don't even think anyone knows my land line number.

    You can get cancer from everything and anything now a days. You can't avoid everything.

    And CB, how is a land line going to help you in a unserviced area? If you're travelling to a unserviced area, generally a land line isn't coming with you.

    (Report comment)

  • Patrick says:

    The number may go down slightly when they get older, but it doesn't have to. There is almost no reason to have a landline anymore. It is just another bill to pay. I'm no longer a teenager and haven't been for some time and don't have a landline and have absolutely no use for one. Mobile service providers are introducing home 'hot spots' that convert a mobile phone into a 'landline'.

    Traditional residential landline phones are a thing of the past. 10-15 years from now they will only be used for corparte and commercial use. You won't see them in too many homes that are already shelling out hundreds in cell phone charges.

    (Report comment)

  • Alex Graham Bell says:

    Cell phones are great, until we run into capacity issues. This will be inevitable with the increaase of users. Cell phones do not provide the security a landline does and when one of the million pieces of space junk eventually collides and takes out a satelite you'll wish you never cancelled your landline.

    (Report comment)

  • Doug says:

    Just imagine the revenue the cell phone providers are making. They are laughing all the way to the bank. Todays teenagers and young adults have become addicted to 24/7 connectivity. I bet most teens don't even pay the bill and mommy and daddy get stuck with paying. Nothing but spoiled kids. Except for an emergency situations, cell phones are just extravagant hi-tech toys to play with and a waste of money. It's as though teenagers are insecure about themselves. I hope cell phones are prohibited from being used by people driving moving vehicles. They are a danger to everybody driving. The latest report has that LA train engineer texting to a couple of teenage train buffs just before the train slammed head on into a freight train killing 25 including that engineer. Unless it's an emergency situation, nothing is that important that it can't wait until you get to a land line. The world won't end just because you have to wait to use a land line.

    (Report comment)

  • Rachel says:

    Wow nice "latest report".

    I am single, very busy, and move around a lot; because of this I only have a cell. It would actually be an inconvenience to have a landline. For families I can understand that landlines are an essential service but when there is one person involved it is more convenient to only have a cell. So of course those numbers will go down and for all of those people worried about brain cancer, well I hope that you don't use a microwave or any type of bluetooth device.

    (Report comment)

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