Is now the right time to ditch the landline?

The way many of us use our phones has changed. Once the centre of the household, lots of us don’t even use a landline anymore.

That’s likely to become more common over the next couple of years. By 2025 the traditional telephone network will be switched off, and while there’s no need to panic – it won’t disappear without a replacement - we’ll certainly need to give some thought to the way we communicate in the future.

But with mobiles and other internet-connected devices in reach most of the time, there are plenty of alternatives to picking up the house phone.

Mobile

Speaking of mobile. Let’s talk about that first.

The great thing about many of today’s mobile contracts is the number that offer unlimited calls and texts. If you’re calling friends and family frequently, mobile can be really good value.

However, those monthly contracts aren’t free – and when you’re already paying line rental for your broadband, mobile isn’t always better value. Plus, there are some non-geographic and premium numbers that aren’t covered by those unlimited minutes and might just be cheaper to call from a landline.

If you’re thinking of ditching your landline for mobile, think about the types and frequency of calls you make – and don’t forget that you’ll probably still be paying line rental (you’ll need to factor that into your equations).

Video calling

After its explosion in popularity – and use – over the last five months, how could we not mention video calling?

We’re not just using video calling for work. We’ve also been dusting off those webcams to stay in touch with friends and family.

When you’re apart, there’s nothing quite like being able to see the person you’re talking to. It can add a real intimacy and togetherness to the conversation that’s often lacking with voice calls.

And now we’ve all discovered just how easy it is, video calling is probably here to stay.

But it’s not all positive.

It’s usually free to make those video calls at home, but what if you’re using your mobile’s data connection? Unless you’ve got an unlimited data allowance, video calling can quickly eat into your data and become quite expensive.

And then there’s the type of calls it’s good for. Video’s great for team meetings or family get togethers, but there are plenty of other situations where it’s less suitable or just not possible.

Not just video

Most of the services that allow video calling (like WhatsApp, Facetime or Facebook Messenger) also allow you to make audio calls.

And there are plenty of other VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services too.

Like video, calls are usually free over your data connection. Plus, when you’re using your mobile data allowance, they use much less data than video calls, and in terms of quality they’re usually indistinguishable from traditional phone calls.

When you’re making a call to another person using the same service, VoIP calls are great.

But when your call needs to connect back into the traditional phone network – when you’re making a call to a ‘normal’ phone line – that’s when you’ll need to start paying.

If you want to use VoIP for all your calls, you’ll need to take a monthly contract with a VoIP provider (if you do, it’s usually very easy to set up the service on our Fritz!Box 7530 router).

Picking up the phone

Although many people might prefer to use some of these other methods, for others there’s nothing quite like picking up the house phone.

When you consider you’re already paying your line rental for your broadband service, it’s often great value too, and if you prefer to make traditional calls in a traditional way it’s probably still the best option available.

And with great add-ons like Zen Line Rental Plus or our range of mobile and international bundles, your landline calls might just cost less than you think.