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?
A 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?
For me it was a matter of money. I needed to find more money in my budget to cover the rising gas prices so I cut my landline and then eventualy I had to cut my cable too. But the mobile package I have currently is really good, and I haven't had any problems *knock on wood* where I couldn't call anyone. That and there is a pay phone across from my building so if I did need a regular line I have one close buy and I always keep the 50 cents needed to make a call. But I will say the minute I got rid of the land line all telemarketer calls stopped out right. That's better than any old "Do Not Call" list.
We gave up our landline and never miss it. I'm not sure why some people think that talking on a cordless phone at home is any less likely to give them brain cancer. As for the Internet, just call the phone company and have them put in a dry loop line – no cost. When my phone rings it's for me. And with my family plan I can call the people I talk to most anytime anywhere for free.
Times are changing – but if you've got an extra $40 – $50 per month to blow, knock yourself out. I'll go out to dinner instead.
I am a 33 year old single mother of two who has been without a landline for over four years now and not missing it at all.
I had a landline for years but a few years ago when the Bell technicians went on strike, I had problems with my phone line. After booking two appointments, waiting 6 weeks total, spending an entire day at home waiting for the tech, only to have no one show and to have the customer service rep basically tell me I wasn't at home waiting and that I was lying, I decided I didn't need a landline.
With two small children I needed a phone that was reliable in an emergency and unfortunately Bell Landlines no longer are.
Well now not only am I saving $50 per month by not having the landline with all the bells and whistles, I now have only the cell phone through Koodo and don't even pay for long distances calls anymore. Which means I can now call my parents and not worry about the length of the call.
My wife and I dropped our land line 3 years ago. We have not missed it at all, and in fact find the cell phones much more practical. We are mid 40's.
Would not give up a landline.
Mobile phones are great but when you lose electricity for a few day, then you find that a land line is your best friend. How does one recharge a mobile phone without electricity?
AnnG
I want to drop our landline but the local phone company which has a monopoly where we live won't allow dry loop dsl service. We have no cable tv Internet options either. So, now we're stuck paying for a voice line that we do not use.
Kids 13-19 haven't even hit the reality of life yet. They are still in the fun time and have most of the adult things still done for them by their parents who have landlines. Texting is only for socializing. Let's have them phone the government for an answer on something and be put on hold multiple times. Just trying to do some business and landlines might look m ore appealing to them.
I have a landline and internet over cable. If one goes down, I can contact the repair service over the other connection. Long distance is with YAK Canada at 3.5 cents a minute, on the landline. I keep a cell for Emergencies, and that costs me $100.00 a year through Virgin mobile. Roadside assistance is the main reason I carry a cell phone. I worked for many years in the computer service industry, and my car was my only sanctuary, where no one could bother me. During that time I never had a cell phone, Lovely!
I can't imagine having that kind of a bond with my cell phone. I use it for emergencies or to call home when to see if my husband wants me to bring pizza for dinner; my conversations happen on my land line. I don't even turn my cell phone on unless I'm using it to call someone, so I'm still incommunicado when I'm out and about. That's how I like it. (For that matter, we have our ringer off on our land line, too…we look a few times a day to see if there are any messages, but we never have to run for the phone.)
I do not have a land line and I am doing fine. I have a pay as you go mobile phone, and VOIP. (Voice Over Internet Protocol) It is much cheaper than a landline, and it works almost as good. The only problems is 9-1-1 service is a little different, and when intenet is down or power is out there is no phone. But with the money I save monthly on my bills, it is worth the risk.
In most countries overseas cellphones replaced landline phones because landline operators have really long install times. We are spoiled in North America because of almost instant landline order fulfillment here, otherwise cellphones here too would replace landline phones.
The connection between cell phones and cancer is no longer refuted – which means cell phones should be used prudently by teenagers who are definitely at more risk. If kids have cell phones (mine does), they should still be encouraged to use a landline whenever possible, and to store their phone away from their body. Also, cell phones allow teenagers to bypass parents, which is not a good thing. If, for example, my kid calls a girl to ask her out to a movie, I want him calling the landline to ask for the girl at her home, not calling her cell phone first. Parents have a right to know what is taking place in their kids lives. Too many parents hand over cell phones thinking they are keeping good track of their kids, when actually they are losing touch with them instead. It's our job to stay on top of things and know what our kids are up to.
Funny how 15 years ago nobody really had any cell phones, and we all got along fine. Now all of a sudden we can't 'live' without them. Have we gotten so busy all of a sudden we need to be constantly accessible 24/7?
I don't think life has changed that much. Don't get me wrong, i think they are great devices for emergencies, but again, just another example of how consumerism, peer pressure and marketing conspire together to convince us that we 'need' their product for 'essential' everyday living.
I don't buy it. I got my local service for $25 a month and UNLIMITED North American long distance for $19 a month. I am more than happy with it.
Haven't had a landline for years nor miss it (or the expense). What I do have is a cable-based VoIP service and a cell phone – 911 calls are not an issue b/c the VoIP company knows where I live. If cable is out, I can use the cell phone to place a service call.
I'm 20, and a land-line is all I need.
I don't own a cell phone, never have, and I don't foresee myself getting one in the future. I don't need/want to be accessible 24/7 and have my life controlled by some little gadget.
We all managed fine without them before, no?
I'm paying $65 per month for only local calling and high speed internet.
I use a nifty little computer program called Skype to call long distance. Where else can I get $0.024 per minute calling from Edmonton to Ottawa? Or have my British boyfriend pay $10 USD for 6 hours of across the Atlantic calling from England to Edmonton?
Try getting that with a cell phone.
Besides, I find it a complete waste of money, as I have NO ONE to call, and really, telemarketers will get you whether you have a VoIP, cell, or land line connection. Trust me, my co-worker gets the telemarketers on her cell quite often.
I don't want a cell. EVER. I'm happy with my land line. It's all I need. If anything goes wrong, I can call for help from work.
I cite: "I'm sure this number will go down when these teens get older and realize other people – like, um, their family…"
I don't think these kids will ever have families. They're raised by Mcdonalds and pigs like Harper adn his sty members. Actually, will they ever "get older", I doubt it and if they do, I won't hire them…no one under 30 and soon no one under 35. Don't like it, complain to your mother.
I found out that most people who don't have a landline and only a cell phone are usually very selfish and anti-social persons.
So between you and me, leave them alone, they'll die alone with time and since they don't have a landline, no one will know!
My wife and I who are in our 40's got rid of our land line about 3 years ago. We have not missed paying the extras that are always charged to your land line phone.
what a mindless bunch of drivel