The Demise of the Telephone Landline
It wasn’t that long ago that everyone had a phone in their homes. It was inconceivable to rent a property without a landline. Having private phone calls was very difficult in a big family and telephone hall tables were a must-buy on everyone’s home décor list.
It may not be surprising to note that around 34% of Australians do not have a landline at home anymore. We just don’t need them. The last 20 years has seen a revolution in personal tele-communications. Some of us may remember the first mobile phones – great big bricks that required a few gym workouts to be able to carry around. Nowadays we all have a mini computer in our pocket or handbag that does so much than our bulky phones could ever do.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) produced a report in 2015-2016 that identified that 49% of Australians used an online App to communicate. Most of this was through messaging (Text, Messenger, What’s App) and a smaller percentage via App voice calls (Skype, Facetime and What’s App calls).
Older Australians are still a little reluctant to use mobiles as their primary phone and are the only demographic that still prefer using landlines. Interestingly this has caused a change in policy and methodology for companies that undertake phone surveys. They realised that they were getting very skewed results from using landline numbers and have had to change their methodology to collect data so that they get a more accurate sample of opinion.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network thinks that the trend away from landline phones into mobile-only devices is a trend that will most definitely continue to grow. There is some concern that this will impact negatively on consumers where mobile coverage is sketchy.
There are some Telecommunication companies that still offer landline services in their phone/internet bundles, and this is often the only reason that someone may take up the offer of a landline. When renting properties, the number of people that enquire about landlines has dropped dramatically. The biggest concern these days is access to the internet. Not having a landline has certainly decreased the number of arguments about how to apportion the phone bill in shared households!
Dial-up access to the internet using a landline is slower and less appealing to consumers who are increasingly expecting speed and reliability. Most households are now using fibre or cable as their preferred access to the internet.
Connection to the new National Broadband Network does not require an active telephone line although these can be provided to consumers who want one without the need to pay for line rental. NBN and other internet access is now through fibre or cable networks.
Just as young children are now totally bewildered by record players and tape-to-tape machines, they will no doubt be just as bemused by an old-style telephone in the not too distant future. It may be a good time to squirrel a few away to bring out as antiques in a few years’ time!
