News

NewsWhy 1 in 5 Australians have already ditched their home phone
Why 1 in 5 Australians have already ditched their home phone

Why 1 in 5 Australians have already ditched their home phone

Tags: Consumer Action Cost of Living
Last updated by Someone on

telephones-15841The home phone is fast becoming a thing of the past for many households with around 3.3 million Australians (that’s 19%) ditching the landline altogether and relying solely on mobile phones to stay in touch, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

If you have both a mobile phone and landline, you are paying for two connections when you probably only need one. This week we weigh up some pros and cons for ditching the landline and look at alternatives to see if you could save.

Weigh up Your Options
If you rarely use your landline, giving it the flick could save you money especially if you’re on a cheap mobile phone plan. But it’s important to work out how much it costs you before cancelling altogether.

Cutting the landline could also stop unsolicited telemarketers and scammers.

On the other hand, if you use your home phone regularly, and reliability is important to you, it may make sense to keep the landline.

Mobile phone coverage isn’t always reliable. Personally, I’ve gone back to calling my parents on their landline as they have terrible mobile reception.

If you have a fax machine or back-to-base-alarm, you’ll also need a landline.

What about my broadband Connection?
For a lot of households the only reason they have a landline is to get Internet connection.

But with ‘Naked Broadband’ you can get the Internet without a phone line and can avoid line rental costs too.

If I keep my landline, how can I save?
VoIP – Whether you have a landline or not, ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ technology could save you money. VoIP allows those with reliable Internet connection to make phone calls using the Internet. VoIP calls can be significantly cheaper than landline calls. We’ve written about these extensive options, including Skype, Viber & WhatsApp here so be sure to have a read

Shop around - Seems obvious, but make sure you’re on the best plan available to your needs. If you rarely use your landline, but still want to keep it, consider ditching some of your extras. Whether it’s call-waiting or caller-ID, extras can add a lot to any phone plan.

Originally posted on .

Join the conversation

FiftyUp Club
Why 1 in 5 Australians have already ditched their home phone

Would you consider ditching your home phone? Share your views with other members. 

Want to leave a comment? or .
Read our moderation policy here.
Caroline
Caroline from QLD commented:

Perhaps when a phone book with listed mobile numbers is available then it might be time to consider a mobile only household. 

alan
alan from NSW commented:

I use my landline 90% of the time as mobile reception at Kurrajong NSW is not reliable, and is mostly used for access to the internet. 

Someone
Someone from VIC commented:

We swapped our land line into VOIP and it saves us $60 pm ($720 pa). The only downside is when your internet connection is down, so is your phone, however if you always have your mobile for a backup. 

Kevin
Kevin from QLD commented:

Yes lets get the cost of communication down 

Fay
Fay from QLD commented:

Still have my home phone as a part of a bundle with Optus and use it regularly. Prefer it to a mobile which I have but rarely use it at home. Get phone calls on it though mainly from hospitals etc when they ring to remind me of appointments. Connection to the mobile in Beenleigh is patchy sometimes so still need that as for the NBN don't think it will ever make it to Beenleigh as Telstra would have to put in a completely new substation to bring everything up to the proper speed, can't even get WiFi in my area of Beenleigh with the surrounding hills a problem I think but neither Telco has enlightened me. I prefer the home phone anyway for my calls so lets hope telcos still keep them as part of their service.. 

Rob
Rob from VIC commented:

I haven't read all of the comments ,but I have the internet via the NBN and the home line comes free (ie no rental or call charges) It has come in handy at times talking to friends and relatives in a similar position for as long as you want and no charge at all. I'm happy with Telstra's Bigpond NBN !!! 

Philip
Philip from NSW commented:

No no no ,my wife does not use a mobile. I carry one to contact her on home phone. Under my Broadband deal aith Optus I get home calls free & ring overseas to UK free.we ring all mobiles free In -Aus we will always want our home phone . Lay off it!!!!!! 

David
David from NSW replied to Philip:

Philip, the operative words in your post are "broadband deal". The point of the article is to get people to consider any additional cost that they incur from a stand alone landline. No one is suggesting that you should get rid of landlines completely, which your no-no-no response hints as how you read it. If you get a bundle deal, why not keep it. If you don't get a deal, it's up to you to CONSIDER whether you have one. We've done the numbers- if we didn't get a bundle, much like yours, then we wouldn't have it. Here's something to think about (speaking as a former telco person)- they can give away fee calls, because these days they cost the telco next to nothing. The big earners for them are from things like SMS- the cost to the telco of an SMS is less than 1c, but they charge, what, around 25-27c...? 

Paivi
Paivi from NSW commented:

MOTH has grumbled many times about using landline and costs especialy when kids were at home ,We have kept it on for internet connection but will look into naked broadband now. 

Averil
Averil from NSW commented:

I would love to get rid of the landline phone as it does cost a lot of money every month. However, there is no mobile reception where I live in Gymea Bay & from what I am told, that is not going to change any time soon . 

Someone
Someone from VIC replied to Averil:

If you have a good internet connection, check out VOIP. It costs around $10 pm and you can transfer your existing number to it 

Robyn
Robyn from NSW commented:

We ditched the expensive land line years ago. It costs us: $45 per month for unlimited mobile $15 for 90 days of what we call our 'bunnings' phone - only us it to find each other in bunnings - or elsewhere lol $99.95 a year for mobile broadband. Works wonderfully with AMAYSIM. We ask our friends to phone and then we phone them back so it doesn't cost them much. Much more affordable these days. We have found VOip and VIBER to be great. Don't lump us with the graceless society which use phones in Cafe etc - we turn our phone off if we are socializing with friend. Of course you need to be in an area where mobile works ok. So far AMAYSIM (optus) has worked everywhere except outback Australia, but then nothing much except Satellite works out there. 

Comment Guidelines