Landline decline

A current trend in telecommunication is to ditch the landline and use a mobile phone instead. It is definitely worth considering if you want to cut down on utility bills. The move has been gathering momentum for a couple of years now; in 2010 it was reported that 14 per cent of Australian homes didn’t have landlines. This is mainly due to the higher use of mobile phones and the good value available on mobile plans.

But it is not for everyone. Obviously you need to consider how and when you use your phone. Do you rarely use your home line these days? Do you make many calls to interstate or overseas? Where do you live? Read on to find out how these factors might help you make the best decision between a landline or mobile:

Area coverage
Before disconnecting your landline, you need to assess whether your mobile phone has good reception and coverage in your house. For example, if you live in a remote area your mobile coverage might be poor, so a landline connection is the best option for making calls.

Emergency calls
If you ever need to make a 000 call, doing it from a landline could be advantageous. Emergency services can get your exact location from a landline, whereas a call from a mobile phone will only provide details of your general area.

The cost to others
If you only have a mobile phone it will often cost other people more to call you. Technically, this is not your problem, but it’s worth considering if you still want your friends and family to talk to you!

International calls
Most networks now offer fantastic STD and international call rates to landline users, so it might be best to keep your home phone if you make a lot of these calls. Also worth considering for long distance calls are sim cards for your mobile phone, which allow you to make cheaper overseas calls. Or even better, you can use Skype,which is free and allows you to see the other person. All you need for that is a reliable internet connection.

Local calls
If you make a lot of local calls to other landlines it might be best to keep yours too. Many providers offer unlimited local calls from landline to landline.

Telemarketing  
An added bonus of dumping your landline is reducing the number of telemarketing calls you receive. Without a home phone they simply won’t be able to call you so you’ll be able to eat dinner in peace without being offered some ‘amazing’, ‘one-off’ deal for something that you don’t need in the first place.

Internet connection
A fixed line modem is said to provide much better internet access than a mobile 3G or wireless modem. If your house already has a fixed line, you can simply rig it up to your modem and receive internet access, rather than using it as a phone line.