Is your landline… on the line? Here’s why it could be

There was once a time where every household had a landline. Now, often, the only calls we receive on landlines are cold callers and scammers. So, is your landline really on the line to make its exit after all these years? 

Let’s look at some statistics 

In the UK, whilst 95% of over 65 year olds still possess a landline, almost half of those aged under 25 do not have a traditional phone in their properties. As mobile phones develop rapidly, landlines are becoming more obsolete, as there is no reason to pay for a line rental on top of a mobile phone contract. 

In 2021, the number of smartphone users in the world is estimated to be almost 6.4 billion, and is expected to steadily increase to over 7.5 billion by 2026. As a result of this, roughly 40% of people have completely stopped using their landline phones. 

PSTN switch off is due in 2025 

Landline phones operate across physical phone lines made from copper wires that adorn our skyline. This infrastructure is known as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Though aspects of it have been upgraded over the years, the technology behind the PSTN hasn’t changed much since it was first introduced. 

In an effort to digitise our phone networks, BT OpenReach announced in 2015 that it would be switching off the PSTN in 2025, along with the other services that run through this network such as ISDN. Thus, if your landline or business phone runs through the PSTN, it is likely that you will need to start looking for a PSTN replacement in the next couple of years. 

A PSTN replacement will typically be more reliable than their predecessors, offering higher call quality and a more reliable service. With the development in technology, these replacements can also offer an array of additional services in addition to voice calling functionality. 

However, this does not mean that you have to lose your landline if you don’t want to! You can find fixed handsets that have VoIP calling capabilities – you just need to provide the internet connection. 

The impact of coronavirus

During the coronavirus lockdowns, families and friends were kept apart, whether they lived just down the street or all the way across the world. To ease the loneliness, many of us turned to video calling for our family catch ups, drinks with friends, coffee breaks with colleagues, school lessons, and business meetings. 

Throughout this time, making voice calls simply wasn’t enough – the importance of seeing the friendly face of a loved one meant more to us than ever. Thus, despite us all being in our homes, it was mobile phones and their video calling functionality that rose to the forefront of modern telephony. 

Due to this, much of the older generations that might otherwise have been considered as less technologically savvy have become practiced users of video calling software such as Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, and Facebook. And now they are hooked, it’s unlikely that they will return to the traditional landline. 

Final thoughts

Despite the popularity of landlines throughout the decades, it seems as though landlines as we know them might have run their course. Though it is still possible to opt for a VoIP compatible fixed handset, smartphones are confidently taking over as the household staple.