Why 1 in 5 Australians have already ditched their home phone
The 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.
