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Landline Holders Increasingly Older, More Affluent

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the untethered dept.

netbuzz writes "More than a quarter of the under-30 crowd has decided you only need one telephone — and it sure as heck does not plug into a wall. The trend towards an all-mobile lifestyle is accelerating, according to a new survey. Besides younger people, lower-income people are also more likely to have cut the cord. And while businesses may be a bit slower on the cell-only uptake, there appears to be little doubt at this point that the traditional landline will be joining rotary dials and party lines as a relic of the telecommunications industry."

2 of 616 comments (clear)

  1. Cutting the cord by Z0mb1eman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I probably would have cut the cord a long time ago, but every time I start looking at cell phone plans, I just get mad. Especially with the various taxes that are always listed separately. Look, I don't care if you have to pay this tax, that fee, your company's hydro bill or for your CEO's lunches, just tell me what the bloody thing costs.

    Besides, don't DSL companies still charge you the $10 or so for a landline?

    Anyone care to suggest a cell phone provider in Toronto that won't get my blood pressure up (too much? :p)

    --
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  2. Re:Kind of a concern by Osty · · Score: 5, Interesting

    .. really. I use service, reliability and cost to determine whether I go wireless or not. It's not how sexy the ads are. Maybe the article is saying that under-30s are more susceptible to advertising?

    I'm just barely under 30 (I'll be turning 29 in a couple months), and I've been landline-free since shortly after purchasing a home in 2003. I found that the extra ~$25/mo for a landline was completely wasted since I

    • Never used it
    • Didn't need it for DSL or Tivo
    • Rarely made any phone calls while at home
    • The only people calling me on it were phone spam for charities and crap
    For me, it made financial sense to save the extra $25/mo I was paying for basic service. My cell works just about everywhere, including Canada (though I have to roam, which I'm fine with as I rarely go to Canada), I always have it on me, and the $40/mo plan I'm on gives me 1000 minutes a month with free, unlimited nights and weekends. However, I'm also an anomoly in terms of phone usage for my age group. I spend an average of < 30 minutes a month on the phone, as most of my calls generally sound something like, "Hey it's me. Yeah, I'll see you in a few minutes." I upgraded to a RAZR last fall, but otherwise I keep my phones for several years. I've been month-to-month on my current plan since 2002 when my initial contract expired, and I'd rather pay for my own phone than re-up a contract to get a "free" phone.

    Personally, I couldn't go back to using a landline. It's a useless technology for me, and as long as I have cell coverage I'm happy.