In reaction to aNotice of Inquiry release by the FCCto explore how to transition to a purely IP - based communication connection , AT&T has declared that it ’s time to shorten the electric cord . AT&T told theFCC that the expiry of landlines is a matter of when , not if , and asked that a firm deadline be set for pull the plug .

AT&T said in itsresponse to the FCCthat “ with each passing day , more and more communicating services transmigrate to broadband and IP - based services , leaving the public swap telephone set electronic connection ( ‘ PSTN ’ ) and plain - onetime telephone avail ( ‘ POTS ’ ) as keepsake of a by - gone era . ”

It also stated : “ It crap no sentience to take service provider to run and defend two distinct connection when technology and consumer preferences have made one of them increasingly disused . ”

Moving to VoIP

Providers like Vonage have been delivering VoIP ( Voice over IP ) for consumers over broadband Internet connections for long time . I should bed , I was one of the charter appendage . I have n’t had an actual POTS landline for at least five years .

While my local telephone providers require to nickel and dime me for “ features ” like caller ID and voice mail , Vonage has reliably provided all - inclusive religious service for $ 24.95 for as long as I can think back .

While Vonage is still a major participant in the consumer VoIP market place , just about every communications entity has joined in the secret plan now . VoIP phone service are offered as a practice bundling service along with broadband Internet service , and digital cable telecasting by major players like Comcast , Verizon , and AT&T itself .

Transition to mobile

The way wireless sound design are coiffe up now , it is hard to reason in party favor of keep both a roving earpiece and a nursing home telephone set — even a VoIP dividing line . you’re able to get unlimited minutes of lecture time with all of the bells and whistles you’re able to guess — caller ID , call forwarding , etc . Many plans hail with unlimited data , unlimited text electronic messaging , and more . With all of that service in your hip pocket , do you really need a sound attached to your wall ?

The act of U.S. family that haveditched the landline entirelyin favor of relying solely on mobile phones doubled between 2006 and 2009 . A quarter of U.S. family no longer have a landline of any kind , and that number will continue to grow .

No dial tone

One of the last remaining reason for maintaining a received POTS landline is the fact that in most cases the POTS line maintains a dial tone and the ability to make and receive call during disaster and emergencies .

When Hurricane Ike hit here in the Houston sphere , there was no power for daytime , or even hebdomad in some country . No major power means no broadband Internet , which means VoIP phone services like Vonage do n’t work . No power to cell tugboat means no bar on your cell signal and no wireless overhaul .

Some broadband VoIP supplier have resolution to call at least poor - terminal figure office outage . AT&T supply its UVerse customer with a UPS ( uninterruptable major power supply ) battery back - up that wield great power to the broadband router at least for a while .

hand brake services , and the ability to place 911 yell have also been an issue . With a POTS landline it is easy to match a phone turn with a strong-arm savoir-faire , but with broadband VoIP you could be call from around the corner or around the human beings and the 911 operators ca n’t tell apart . There are solutions in position for 911 calls via broadband VoIP , but users who drop landlines exclusively in favor of wireless speech sound may have issues getting timely hand brake service .

Those are issue that will have to be worked out , though . The next marches on , and it is fairish for AT&T and other traditional POTS providers to want to drop the disused , unprofitable applied science and focalise their resourcefulness on the cosmopolitan broadband and IP communication of tomorrow .