Telephone Landlines Becoming An Endangered Species

According to recent studies more than 80% of American adults have some sort of cell phone. On the other hand nearly 25% of American homes no longer have landlines up from 14% in 2007. While it is true that some people feel having both is redundant there are still those–especially businesses–that still rely on landlines although no longer exclusively. There are pros and cons to each type of communications device.

Among the cell phone pros,

# Cell phones are useful for quick information retrieval (so much so that their absence can cause problems) – Half of all adult cell owners (51%) had used their phone at least once to get information they needed right away.

# Cell phones are an important tool in emergency situations – 40% of cell owners said they found themselves in an emergency situation in which having their phone with them helped.

# Cell phones can help stave off boredom – 42% of cell owners used their phone for entertainment when they were bored.

via Americans and Their Cell Phones | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

And the cons,

Despite their advantages, some cell phone owners just need an occasional break – 29% of cell owners turned their phone off for a period of time just to get a break from using it.

# With advantages comes frustration – 20% of cell owners experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something; 16% had difficulty reading something on their phone because the screen was too small; and 10% had difficulty entering a lot of text on their phone.

via Americans and Their Cell Phones | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

Advantages for landlines include reliability/clarity, security and price. Among the disadvantages are lack of mobility, lack of options and usage restricted to placement of phone. I would think the smart thing to do if you can afford it is have both.