Dropped my landline years ago. No regrets.
If you have high speed Internet, the NetTalk (dot com) device hooks to your router and provides all the phone service you need for $30 a year. I like it better than the Magic Jack because I don’t have to have a computer running to use it.
You should know that a lot of landline taxes aren't on a cell phone bill. Also, you usually get free caller id, call waiting, call transfer, 3 way, voice mail with Verizon and probably a lot of other providers.
Finally, I was only able to get in touch with my family during Hurricane Katrina using a cell phone with messaging. It took a while for the messages to go back and forth, but I was able to contact everyone and know they were safe. When the telecom lines are congested, (fast busy), you can get out a text in a few minutes.
There is one problem with cell phones, though. In the PSTN hierarchy, cell calls are the lowest priority, so if you have to reach someone by phone in an emergency, you will usually get more fast busys. This prevented me from getting reservations at Disney's Princess Buffet Breakfast in the Magic Kingdom in WDW, since it sells out a few minutes after it goes on sale.
We dropped out landline over four years ago, and have never regretted it for a moment. Of course, we live about a half-mile from the local tower, so that might make it a bit easier for us (and out satellite internet comes from the same tower).
I haven’t had a land line since the fall of 1999
True story-about four years ago we had a landline with SW Bell. One day I got a phone call from a NASTY woman complaining that I hadn’t paid my ATT bill. I calmly explained to this freak that my phone sevice was with SW Bell. She snottily replied that ATT had bought them out. I then realized, and politely explained to her that what had probably happened is, when I got the bill, I thought it was just another solicitation from ATT, which normally went straight to trash. Anyhow, she demanded immediate payment, insisting that I do a bank draft that minute. When I politely refused, she went into hyperdrive, threatening to cut off service. I thought for about two seconds, then said “Okay. Cut my service NOW and send me the final bill, which I will pay promptly upon receipt”. That old bag of s**t was still blubbering when I hung up! I just hope that was one those calls that they “monitor for quality control purposes”!
I don't make many L.D. calls...email is so much easier.
We had five lines and had two ported to At&T. We have the same numbers we have had for decades on the cells.
We were after very basic service but were sold on a plan with two I phones and data. It is very very good because we are both out and about and travel extensively. We have phone service and e mail and internet about everywhere.
I abandoned my old dedicated fax line and have free incoming fax from J2. I can’t send but can receive. No one uses fax any more so it is no big deal. I can scan and e mail any thing.
No listing in the phone book. So far no problem. Everyone that needs to know my little business number or my wife’s number seems to do all right. We don’t text so didn’t pay for that
We bought obsolete 3G I phones on sale at AT&T. They are having a truly great deal on I Phone 3GS for $49.95 to get rid of them. If you don’t insist on up to the minute capability I think that is a good deal.
There is trauma but it quickly passes
I canceled my AT&T account four years ago and they are still harassing me. I use pre-paid cell phones now.
So I may well be joining you in cutting out my landline and save $50 a month. Just have to convince the wife.
We had a nasty blizzard back around the first of May. Knocked out power over 6000 square miles, cell towers were down, only the landline worked. Even the local radio stations were off the air. I’m going to keep mine, the lines here are mostly underground and its fairly reliable—better than a cell phone.
I ditched my landline years ago....and now I have even ditched my cable internet...tethering my desktop and all my computers to my iPhone through ATT. Totally wireless now...but it was kinda traumatic at first yanking that big plastic ugly thing off the wall. You spend so many years with one it’s hard to let go of. And now that little phone modem drives all my computing both home and mobile...
We had five lines. Three land lines and two cells.
We had the land lines ported to ATT cell lines with I Phones and all the benefits. My little business is now on cell and I can receive and make calls anywhere. fax is obsolete so the loss of the fax number is no big deal. but porting the numbers we retained both my business number of 20 years and our home number of 45 years.
I picked up a free computer internet fax service called jfax. they allow incoming fax’s free. You must pay for out going fax’s but there none of either. J Fax gives you a free number that is all your own. Some clients insist on a fax but this satisfies them although it is never used. Scanned e mail docs are near universal now. Women will never return phone calls.....e mail or no contact.
The I phone allows everything on the fly. I do not do text. I do use email and it is valuable when away traveling. I travel locally within 150 miles and the I phone allows me to respond quickly to voice or e mail.
The power outage is not a big deal. We had a 24 hour outage and my wife charged her phone on the car. Mine was ok.
We are retired but both have some work to do. we spend at least one month on the road traveling. The I phone makes lots of things easier than a laptop and finding wi fi. I have the ability to do my banking and bill paying on the I phone. It is very convenient and easy.
There was not a large savings in $$ but there was a major change in capability.
By maintaining the old numbers, no one knows we are not at home or in the office. it was seamless and has turned out well
The teclo terminology for changing your numbers to a new carrier is “porting” They have dedicated people who do it all day everyday and nothing else. It is a snap
Depending on how much you use your cell (for me not much) a pre-paid will save enough to keep the land-line for probably less cost then a standard cell total.
Just a thought.
I like having a landline just in case, since it provides its own operating power.
Did it six years ago and haven’t looked back. Family plan with three numbers, one out of state on the plan. I still have cable tv which I use for internet connection also.