Why Landlines Are Going Extinct | It’s Time to Switch

Jun 22

The use of landlines has dropped significantly from over 90% in 2004 to 36.7% in 2020. More and more American’s are dropping landlines completely for both home and business each year. The numbers might be steep, but in the age of cell phones, it almost seems too high considering the average age kids receive a cellphone nowadays is as low as 10.3. This now poses the question, where are the 36% of Americans still using landlines coming from? One of the main contributors is businesses. Even in this industry, landlines are evaporating at a dramatic rate.

Landlines Will Be Almost Obsolete by 2050

If the rate at which landlines are declining continues, landlines will basically be extinct in the next 30 years. This rate may even increase considering the largest demographic to use landlines are people over the age of 55. As more individuals from this demographic move to retirement, more businesses will be moving to alternate solutions for phone lines in the office.

VoIP Phone Solutions Provide More Cost Effective Options

Two of the main culprits for the death of phone lines in the office are SIP Trunks and Hosted Phone Lines, also known as VoIP Phone lines. VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is a cloud based phone service over the internet by taking your analogue voice signals, converting them into digital signals, then sending them as data over your broadband line.

In most cases, these VoIP solutions are cheaper than traditional POTS lines. Cost Owl predicts that most businesses pay anywhere from $67 to $83 per user on a traditional system where as a hosted solution can cost businesses as little as $20 per user.

One of the main reasons companies do not want to give up their traditional phone lines is fear of internet calling, but as more reliable internet solutions such as fiber continue to roll out and younger generations step into decision making positions, landlines will continue to be replaced with internet based phone solutions.

There Are Multiple Reasons You Should Ditch Your Landline for a VoIP Solution

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-VoIP tends to be significantly cheaper than traditional phone lines

-You don’t have to pay for long distance with a hosted phone system

-You get more features with a hosted phone solution like call recording, call statistics, and more

-Hosted Phone solutions allow you to run your business from your cell phone or laptop with applications like MAX UC

-You don’t have to pay for an expensive on-site phone system

-Your phones can be managed remotely

Conclusion

The 100 year old landline is reaching the end of its life. It is estimated that by 2050, landlines will pretty much be extinct. As more and more Americans over the Aage of 55 retire, businesses are making the switch to alternate solutions such as VoIP over traditional POTS lines. With more flexibility and more cost saving options, it is no surprise that businesses are making the switch to solutions like SIP Trunks or Hosted Phones.

If you are ready to ditch your traditional business phone system line for a VoIP phone solution, contact the Travis Voice & Data office for more information or a free, no commitment quote.

Contact the Travis V&D Office