Do You Still Use A Landline?

The word “phone” has become synonymous with cell phones and no longer refers to household phones that are connected to the wall and collect dust in the corner. While businesses still use landlines, residences are abandoning this technology.

The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, which is the comprehensive, knowledge-based resource for success in the credit and collection industry, compiled information regarding wireless and landline phones. They reported that, “More than one of every four American homes (26.6%) deserted their landline telephone service and now rely exclusively on wireless service. Approximately 24.9% of all adults (approximately 57 million) live in households with only wireless telephones. A total of 29% of all children live in households with only wireless telephones.”

What caused this occurrence though? Cell phones are portable and people always have them in their pocket or purse. They allow someone to be available almost 24/7, whereas with a landline you have to be sitting around the house to hear it ring. With the desertion of landlines and people relying more and more on cell phones, the need for cell towers is becoming a necessity. 

“Wireless subscriptions have risen from 33.8 million in 1995 to 322.9 million in June 2011,” ACA International reported. It’s so unlikely to run into someone who doesn’t have a cell phone these days. Landlines are becoming a thing of the past, and future generations may only know about rotary phones from black and white movies and exhibits in museums.