Home phone News

Nearly 40% of Brits ready to ditch their landlines

Tuesday 16 February, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Over a third of consumers said they would stop using their home phone to make calls if their mobile phone had better reception indoors, according to a new survey.

39% of consumers said they would use their mobile phone as their sole phone service if their mobile’s signal was the equivalent, if not better, than their traditional fixed landline, a new YouGov survey reveals.

The figures could spark fears for the future of the UK’s home phone providers, and raise an opportunity for mobile phone providers to start offering discounted calling plans and mobile broadband bundles.

Mobile signal-boosting products, such as the Vodafone Sure Signal, are already on the market. If more providers were to offer them however, and if mobile reception were improved, customers may be swayed to switch their home phone calling plans for more mobile minutes.

The survey, which was commissioned by mobile phone signal-boosting equipment manufacturer Airvana, was carried out among 2,000 UK adults.

Sanjeev Verma, vice president of business development at Airvana, said the trend of “cutting the cord” is already widespread in America, with many consumers choosing their mobile phones over their landlines.

In the US, one in four households has become entirely dependent on mobile phone and mobile broadband services.

Simon Piper, business development manager at Homephonechoices.co.uk said: “At the moment, I don’t think mobile phones pose a significant threat to landlines - aside from the issue of poor reception, customers need to also consider their fixed-line broadband needs.”

He added: “Until mobile broadband becomes more readily available, with better coverage across the UK, better speeds and larger download limits at a cheaper price, homeowners are probably better off with a bundled package that includes line rental, calls and broadband.”