now, I feel old

[Seeker]

https://twitter.com/LukasStefanko/status/1126249519111450624

[Sir Trev]

Have seen that before but it still made me smile. My daughter looked at me blankly when I asked if she was getting a landline for her flat - she quite rightly asked "what for?" as like most people her age (22) she has a mobile so doesn't need one. If we didn't have so many older relatives that always use out home number I'd happily get rid of ours but then we get ridiculously cheap mobile plans as we have one so it balances out cost wise and we'd still need line rental for the broadband router.

[Talking Heads]

Mobile broadband routers starting to appear, the writing's on the wall for landlines.

I only have a landline because there's no mobile signal where I live.

[Chris_SVS]

What's a landline? I pay for one but it's solely so I can have internet

[Adam Ef]

What's a landline? I pay for one but it's solely so I can have internet


Same with us. We can't have internet without paying for a landline. Seems crazy when you think about it but we just accept it as that's the way it's always been. The internet was originally an add on to our phone contract.

[Talking Heads]

Remember when line rental was separate from ISP charges and calls were charged per minute and there was a download limit?
Compared to that telecoms are almost being given away free now.
£44 a month gets me:
Line rental
Unlimited fibre BB
Anytime landline calls (including to mobiles)
Mobile phone contract with unlimited texts and calls

[daktulos]

In the 90s, I started working from home for a while - I had a 64kbps leased line installed - it cost the company something lie £700 a month. My broadband is now over a thousand times faster, and so much cheaper.

BT are trialling SOGEA which will allow broadband without a voice service:

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/12/openreach-start-sogea-pilot-and-reveal-standalone-broadband-prices.html

... but to be honest, it'll all probably flip on its head again in the next 20 years.