Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Is it possible to rely completely on your mobile phone?

The latest trend in cutting costs today is to disconnect the traditional landline phone service and rely totally on the mobile phone as the main phone 24 hours a day 6 days a week. If you are currently getting two phone bills each month, one from the phone company and the next from the cellular provider and you carry your mobile phone around day in and day out, you may start to question whether or not you need the traditional home phone. There are several pros and cons to disconnecting the traditional landline and relying totally on the mobile phone and these are provided below.

Reception – it goes without saying that the traditional landline has a much more reliable reception. You may find that within your home there may be areas of dropout or poorer reception in certain areas. It is noted that cellular coverage is improving all the time however you might consider assisting reception through signal-boosting antennas if you decide to cut the traditional phone line.

Battery – The traditional home phone does not require you to continually charge your phone as you have to with your mobile device.

Flat phone – If you totally rely on your mobile phone there is the possibility that when you want to make that urgent call (or any call for that matter) that you find your phone is dead and you are left to wait until your charger provides enough power to dial out.

Emergency calls – When you dial 000, the emergency hotline immediately receives your current location and they can send the fire department, police or ambulance to help even if you are not able to speak.

Phone number – If a lot of friends and family are used to calling you on your home phone number, you will have to consider transferring your old landline to a new mobile account. You will need to check with your carrier first to make sure they will do this and what is involved in it – there may be a cost.

Lost phone – As mobile phones are getting smaller all the time, it is easy to misplace your phone and you might miss an important call. It is noted too that cordless phones also can be misplaced but there are usually larger than their mobile counterparts.

Faxing – If you still use the fax, you need a traditional phone connection.

Home security – Many home security services rely on a hardwired connection to allow communication to their monitoring centres. Many of these services can use the broadband internet connection but this could be a problem if you haven’t opted for a high-speed cable connection.

Summary

If you have solid cell reception at home and don’t need the traditional landline for any other electronics at home, then dropping your landline can certainly save you money. Alternatively, you could save money by calling your service provider and ask to be switched to the least expensive base rate if you don’t use your home phone very much. For this low-cost, you can have peace of mind, particularly when you consider the possibility of needing the traditional phone for emergency calls.

Affordable Computer Repairs and Service – Do you need a traditional home phone connection?

Mobile Phones Replacing Landlines

It is becoming more common for households to rely purely on mobile phones and no longer have the traditional landline. In fact, statistics released by the US Labour Department in 2007 showed that US households were expected to spend more on mobile phones than landlines services for that year. The figures revealed that there were nearly 250 million mobile phones in use nationwide. This compared to only 170 million landlines in use.

In Australia, according to information released by the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA), nearly 3.3 million Australians aged 18 had replaced the landline by mobile phones. That is one in five households no longer using a landline for telephone calls. Not unexpectedly, those over 65 are less likely have replaced the landline.  According to the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA), the growth rates of this group (65+) are larger than average and more than doubling year on year.

However, the phone line is still used for the internet. Only 3% of the Australian population not having a personal fixed-line service of any kind. Whilst the numbers for full mobile substitution are low, there is a rapid growth rate in this at around 70% in the last year.

Why mobile phones are replacing landlines:-

1. The most obvious reason is the portability of mobile phones, meaning you can take them anywhere with you.
2. Mobile phones are more than a telephone. Mobile phones are a social network. You can text as well as send and receive emails on a mobile phone. It is also a personal navigator and a camera to mention just a few features.
3. It can be quicker to make a call from a mobile phone as they contain all contacts which are very easy to access.
4. Mobiles are more fun. They can be personalized with ringtones and wallpapers.
5. Mobiles also include applications that include games to keep the children occupied.
6. It’s fashionable to have a mobile phone. In fact, it is downright unfashionable to not have one!
7. Some places you can’t get a landline.
8. Landlines are not safe to be used during an electrical storm.

Disadvantages of mobile phones:-

1. Plans can be costly.
2. Mobiles are not as reliable. There is the possibility of dropped calls, dead zones and poor voice quality. In general, mobile phones are less dependable than landlines.
3. Mobile phones need to be kept charged. Landlines do not. If your battery runs down, you may not be able to make or receive calls until it is recharged.
4. It is easier to lose your mobile phone.  Mobile phones can also be stolen. Thus, you can be caught without a phone until you purchase a new one.

Mobiles for Business

Research indicates that mobiles will replace landlines in the business environment too. According to research from Virgin Media Business which interviewed 500 UK CIOs, 65% of respondents believed landlines would no longer be an everyday tool in corporate environments by 2017. Furthermore, an overwhelming 87% stated that landlines would be redundant within the next five years. This is due to the rise in use of mobile phones.

The growth of mobile technology is due to mobile connections to the internet improving all the time. This means that office workers are becoming increasingly reliant on smartphones and less on landlines.

This article was written by Mark Kotorac, Computer Technician and Owner of Affordable Computer Repairs and Service.