Do you still need a landline?
A new Nielson Reports survey in the U.S. finds about 1 in 5 homes will decide to cancel their landline by the end of 2008. Do you think these numbers reflect Canadian users?
A new Nielson Reports survey in the U.S. finds about 1 in 5 homes will decide to cancel their landline by the end of 2008. Do you think these numbers reflect Canadian users?
While the ailing global economy appears to be hitting harder south of the border — at this point in time, anyway — I’m curious to know if you think this new landline usage finding from Nielson Reports in the U.S. reflects Canadian attitudes and habits, too?
The report finds nearly 20 percent of American homes – or about 1 in 5 of the population – will choose to cancel their landlines by the end of the year, resulting in a savings of about $35 a month, on average (which would arguably be higher in Canada if my landline bill is any indication).
Specifically, wider cell phone adoption is being cited as the key reason, coupled with tightening budgets.
OK, I can see how a bachelor living alone only needs one number for his buddies to reach him, but what about a family of five? I find this study a little hard to swallow, personally.
What do you think? Have you ditched your landline for a cell phone already?
I do have a cellphone, as I needed one to do online banking while working in the field for an oil and gas services company. The town I was working and living in had only one bank, a credit union which was open 9 to 4, Monday to Friday. There was no way for me to pay my bills or take care of my savings, and therefore telephone banking via cell was more or less my only option.
When I moved back home and began an in-town office job with the same company, I found myself keeping my cellphone and not bothering to have a landline installed when I purchased my current home. No phone, internet or TV lines at my house – I can do my surfing at the office, as well as any phone call I need to make. I haven't watched television in five or six years, and with psuedo-reality television creeping all across the tubes I think it unnecessary to do so.
As far as the cellphone goes, sure, cells are expensive, but if you're smart with them they can be rather cost-effective. Turning off your phone eliminates roaming charges as well as phone calls you don't want to take – I for one hate telephones and really appreciate being able to turn mine off when I don't want to be reached.
Keeping phone calls to the point eliminates hefty charges as well – long distance-wise there's nothing to really save you there short of a good plan, but for local calls anything that really needs to be said should be able to be said vis-a-vis, no?
I find a cellphone not to be a ball and chain, linking me to everyone I know, but a convenient tool that can be turned off thus completely severing links to anyone and everyone.
heh, reading all that only confirms my suspicions that I am an anti-social freak.
i dont bother using landline phone,its sense of a big rip off. im deaf.. why bothering using landline phone and all of that stupid charges they bill up too much.. i use videophone and its perfect for me. its just like netmeeting..
deaf people wouldnt use the landline phone system.. relay calls are toooo annoying.. videophones for the deaf are more flexible and it only free.. otherwise, we use tmobile sidekick and it already have relays in it, so i wont bother using landline phone.
I've done away with the landline a while back. I'm a single dad with 2 grown boys who live with me.
We have 2 cellphones between the 3 of us and it's still a lot cheaper to do this. Plus, we have more control when it comes to staying in touch. If the bro's are meeting downtown, or I'm meeting the boys somewhere, they take both cells or I take one and they take one, otherwise, one one phone stays at home.
i live in British Columbia, i have a cell phone and a land line which i would keep both simply because wedont have a limit to the amount we talk in a month without being charged extra with a land line. in order to do that with a cell phone i think that it would cost at least another $40.00 CAD on top of the 40-50 that i already pay for a monthly plan. i prefer talking on a land line too because the signal is clearer, and you dont have to worry abut it cutting out as you walk around in places. im not a fan of that radiation coming off the the cell phone receiver either.
I've already tried to ditch my landline – the only problem is my cell phone coverage is often limited in my apartment. I have to have a landline at the moment because the only spot in my apartment that gets reception is within two inches of my bedroom window. If my reception was to improve, I would lose my landline in a heart beat.
My husband and I have our own cell phones with a buddy plan. We ditched the landline as we didn't see the point paying for a phone that never got used
both my husband and I use our cellphones for everything and when we move we don't plan on getting a landline. We're never home to answer a landline and our cell phones are plans are good enough to accomodate our needs.
We're with telus, both on EPP 17.30, I've got unlimited incoming, and hes got telus to telus, we both have unlimited text, 200 daytime mins and after 6 and weekends free. You're at work all day, so ur not going to be on the phone. Hypothetically when we're driving home we're not on phone so once you're home its 6 and your cell is free. Why waste the extra $40-50per month?
by the way, EPP 17.30 is a corporate plan so they won't give it to you. But if you put up a big enough stink they just might. i got mine by telling them we were switching to bell who was giving us that same plan :) (Bell was in fact offering this plan to us, but we never really had the intention to leave telus, we just wanted them to match it)
No. A landline without all the additional Enhancements is still the cheapest means of voice communication we have. A Cell (which I have and use is good travel and emergency tool of communication however costs can climb substantially. I could spend the day on my landline and it would still be a fixed regulated cost.
I ditched my landline 3 years ago as I move back and forth between cities and a cell phone kept me connected no matter where I was. When I settled in to one place I hooked up a landline but find I don't use it (except to answer telemarketers) so have disconnected it. This increases my internet charge a little but why spend $40 for no reason? Also, interestingly, having a cell phone has liberated me from being connected. I don't worry about missing calls, I screen calls, turn the phone off or don't answer it – something I would never have done with a landline. For those of you who dont' want to be connected 24/7 you can always turn it off or even leave it at home or in the car. Just because it's mobile doesn't mean is has to be attached to you 24/7.
I ditched my land line months ago and its been good, since anyone I know called my cel first anyhow, seemed the only ones calling my house are telemarketers. As for high speed internet, you can still have DSL without a home phone and I have my home security service on a cell connection as well. That actually works better since there are no phone lines to cut to disable the system. No matter what, telus, bell and rogers are all theives for what you get for the money.
To us, tightening budgets would be to toss the cellphones, not the landline. The landline's just cheaper.