As I was talking with my friend and long-term client a few weeks back, the subject of landline phones came up. There is a movement underway by the largest providers to get rid of telephony that uses copper wire. We were wondering: Will we have to give up our house phones?
To answer, let’s clarify the difference between landline and house phone. The original landline was the telephone connected via copper lines. This is the technology that has been in use for over 100 years; it is also called POTS or Plain Old Telephone Service. The new-er technology, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) supports your house phone using your internet service. This is done using your modem to convert the digital signal transmitted over the internet to an analog signal that the phone can use. The house phone would be plugged unto this modem.
Why, when there are drawbacks to the new technology – the biggest being that the internet connection will not work during a power failure – are telephone companies phasing out landlines?
For one thing, the copper wire infrastructure is antiquated and becoming more unreliable; maintaining it is costly. It is not cost effective for providers to maintain or update the copper wire network for so few users now that most people rely exclusively on mobile phones. In addition, according to a spokesperson for one of the largest carriers, “ copper value is up, so we are experiencing a lot of copper theft.” Finally, better and faster service is available through fiber and wireless broadband networks.
Telecommunications companies are focusing their resources on developing more efficient and affordable communication technologies. The date to switch off the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) - the current technology in use- was pushed back from 2025 until 2027 to give the telecom companies time to put in place mobile networks, 5G technology and broadband infrastructure that is reliable and available to every customer and will allow all customers the time to transition to digital services, VOIP.
As part of the change, US service providers are required to offer customers an alternative to landlines and to use devices to convert analog signals to digital, either through fiber optic cables or wireless technology, like LTE/5G. One company is offering a special product for customers who do not want or need internet. It is a jack that connects to that company’s wireless network.
So no, we do not have to give up our house phones but, going forward, we will no longer have landlines.
How many people will be impacted by this change? Here are some numbers for Pennsylvania from the US Chamber of Commerce:
- Percent of population with landline phones: 47.7%
- Total with landline phones: 4,831,599
- Percent of population without landline phones: 52.3%
- Total without landline phones: 5,206,377
You can continue to call me at the office number (215-836-4880) or email the office (ellend@regardingyourmoney.com).
Sources: CNN, USA Today, Aculab