End of an Era: Landlines Are Being Phased Out?
If you STILL think this "cell phone" thing is just a passing fad . . . you may want to sit down for this . . . and stop twirling your fingers around the cord of your rotary phone. (???)
Mom, dad: Landlines are being phased out . . . probably for good.
Phone companies want to shift to newer infrastructure within the next few years, which means older copper wire-based lines will be phased out . . . in favor of more advanced technology like fiber optics that doesn't work with landlines.
In fact, AT&T just applied for a waiver that would allow it to stop servicing traditional landlines in California.
There was a time when landlines were a lot cheaper and much more reliable compared to cell phones . . . but it's about to be the reverse.
A spokesperson for AT&T says they are not CANCELING landline service in California or anywhere else . . . yet.
But it's about to get even MORE expensive and LESS reliable, because they'll need to find complex workarounds as they move away from the old equipment.
Of course, many households gave up their landlines a decade ago . . . if not longer . . . but the breakdown of the landline system will impact some older folks, small businesses, and people in remote areas.
According to one expert, about 100 million landlines between business and residential are currently active in the U.S. . . . but only about 5% of them are expected to remain by 2030.
(CNN)
Originally posted on February 6th, 2024