[Strutz]

$1:

Telephone landlines to be obsolete in 5 years, say IT experts
Do you still have an office or home telephone line? If so, how often do you use it?

According to the results of a recent survey, you may not be using it for too much longer.

Virgin Media Business, a U.K.-based internet service provider, polled 500 chief information officers about the future of communication.

Sixty-five per cent of those polled said that landlines would become obsolete in five years. The survey found that landlines may not even be an option for workers by 2017.

"The pace of change with technology is having a transformative effect on the way we work," said Tony Grace, the company's chief operating officer in a statement. "A decade ago it would have been unthinkable to suggest an office without telephones. Now it's hard to imagine being separated from our smartphones."

Because smartphones allow office workers to do business away from their desks, both during and outside of work hours, many employers see the benefit of transferring their staff to a mobile phone system.

The results of a recent Computing survey show that 71 per cent of companies now provide smartphones to at least some staff, while one-third offer mobile tablets to their employees.

British futurologist Peter Cochrane predicts landlines will be replaced by wireless technology when optical fibres are put in all office spaces.

"The public switch telephone network will be closed down, it's about as relevant as Morse code," he told the Telegraph. "But the landlines can't go until there is wireless connectivity to replace it. There won't be wireless connectivity to replace it until there is optical fibre available to offices and homes in sufficient density."

Grace agrees that landlines are on the way out, citing the encroaching dominance of smartphones (or "mini computers" as he calls them) in every aspect of our lives.

"Almost everywhere we go we're able to check-in at the office, social networking sites, or simply contact friends and family," he said. "This is leading us to rely increasingly on our smartphones and less on our landlines."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/08/telephone-landlines-to-be-obsolete-in-5-years-say-it-experts.html

[jeff744]

I keep mine for the package deal, the savings pay for it so it offers me a number to give the people I don't want able to reach me everywhere I go.

[Unsound]

We gave ours up once the oldest kid was old enough to get a cell phone. Not too sure yet what we'll do once the young 'uns are old enough to need a phone number to give out, but still too young to get cell phones.

[Thanos]

But I need my landline to hook up to my Atari phone modem!

[ShepherdsDog]

I use the DSL line to make overseas calls. Any local calls are on the cell.

[Brenda]

I pay $0.04 to call to a town 20 minutes away, a friend in NYC or my parents in the Netherlands. It is free to receive calls on my land line. I pay $0.35/minute on my cell. Guess what. My land line stays. Unless "they" can offer me the same.

[Lemmy]

We got rid of the landline at the cottage this summer to see if we'd miss it. Didn't. It'll be gone from home pretty soon. Oh yeah, fuck Bell Canada, the eviller than Hitler xxxxx.

[Strutz]

I still have my landline... I've had the same # for almost 25 yrs so it would be weird to not have it anymore. Plus I do still use it but have gradually started using the cell more often.

I only pay $0.04 per min too for long distance on the landline. But with my new cell plan I have my "top 10" numbers registered that don't count towards my monthly minutes used AND get free LD for those that are LD. I made sure I included my more frequent ones with that but still... it would suck to pay the much higher cost for other LD calls.

[Public_Domain]

Wow, we still use our land line very regularly.... Same number for a few years now, haven't seen much of a drop in phone usage, especially with my little sister.

[Gunnair]

FreakinOldGuy and Hyack should be rolling in here anytime chatting about their rotary phones...

[ShepherdsDog]

Followed by ray and Yogi as they reminisce about bout penning a note while the courier waited upon his steed.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Lemmy Lemmy:

We got rid of the landline at the cottage this summer to see if we'd miss it. Didn't. It'll be gone from home pretty soon. Oh yeah, fuck Bell Canada, the eviller than Hitler xxxxx.

I switched mine to Rogers a couple of years ago. Yeah I know, not much better than Bell but at least they are significantly easier to deal with. Even got to keep the old number when we switched. The basic bill isn't much different than Bell but the free long distance within Canada(and I think the US but not sure) really helps.
The landline is the ONLY phone we have.
I'm paying less than $160/mo for the phone, full cable(no movie channels) and internet with 120 gigs of bandwidth and blazing up/download speeds.

[Strutz]

Lemmy Lemmy:

We got rid of the landline at the cottage this summer to see if we'd miss it. Didn't. It'll be gone from home pretty soon. Oh yeah, fuck Bell Canada, the eviller than Hitler xxxxx.

I can understand that feeling towards Bell.

We don't have Bell home service here in BC yet I've had a dealing with them... and I agree they are c**** Some twit in Ontario who obviously has a similar gmail address to me has her freaking e-bills sent to my gmail acct. I decided to notify them (Bell) about this obvious error and they said there was nothing they could do, she has to notify them that she isn't getting her e-bills and correct her email acct herself. I know this woman's name, acct number, phone number as I get her damn bills (btw she is WAY overdue in her payments LOL). I decided to report them as spam to gmail so they still show up in my spam acct so I just delete them...

[Yogi]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Followed by ray and Yogi as they reminisce about bout penning a note while the courier waited upon his steed.

Nah. I dunno bout Ray, but I'm gettin to be quite a techie. Finally got one of them 'new' tablets the other day. Was on special price. They even included a really sharp set of diamond tip chisels and a fancy mallet!

[herbie]

Hello sir I am am am from the Canadian Bis-bizness directory to see if you wish your lissssssting up(glrurrkk-tik-squeal)ed.
Yeah IP phones are just fucking nifty. Now I can tell within three seconds that a business is so mickey mouse they can't afford a real phone and I can just hang up on them.
Cells have got so much better, it's a real shame no one will TALK on one. After you said goodbye and hung up half the fucking kids would call you back to say "K"....