More than 50% of all U.S. households depending entirely on cellphone use; phone service providers will phase out landlines entirely by 2020. (1) (2)
Businesses also dropping landlines:
- In 2010, more than 10 million businesses were using fixed-line phones; in 2018, that number is now just 6.4 million. (3)
- Accountant firm PwC has dropped landlines in 24 of its UK-based offices. (3)
Some say these statistics evidence that the sharp decline in landline use will continue in the U.S., where individuals prefer wireless devices. (1)
Amr Ibrahim, small-business supporter and CEO of ULTATEL, says business owners must embrace new technology or risk being left behind.
“Entrepreneurs and business owners can’t afford to wait to make decisions about replacing their landlines. To stay ahead of the competition and keep their organization running smoothly, they must address their future communication needs now.” – Ibrahim
But making the switch to wireless may not be so simple: per Ibrahim, businesses using personal (mobile) phone lines are vulnerable to $350 million telemarketing fraud.
“Small business start-ups, in particular, often rely on employees using their cell phones for business calls in the absence of landlines; but that’s a trap for businesses to fall into the pitfalls of robocalls and fraud.” – Ibrahim
A better option: Ibrahim says cloud-based VoIP systems are being considered the future for both large- and small-scale business communications. With the role of technology being to enhance business efficiency and quality, cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] phone systems offer advanced phone system features and a unified workplace phone system that works where the team works.
Cloud-based systems can help businesses:
- Save 40-80% on Monthly Bills
- Eliminate the Need for Expensive Technology
- Allow Employees to Use their Own Devices
- Provide an Up-to-Date Communication Experience
With methods of communication ever-changing, small- and large-scale organizations alike must step forward to embrace the newest technology, or risk being left behind in the fast-paced business world.
Amr Ibrahim can speak to the following:
- Will landlines really be obsolete by 2020?
- What has driven the shift to wireless communication?
- How will the end of landlines affect businesses?
- What costs, if any, will be involved in switching to wireless communication?
- What security hazards do employees and businesses face when they use their personal number for work?
- What are some instances of how telemarketing fraud due to mobile phone use has harmed a business or its employees?
- What makes cloud-based communication the answer for the future?
ULTATEL provides entrepreneurs and small-business owners with a high-tech solution to their communication needs without the use of expensive hardware and at a fraction of the usual cost.
1. Hicks, Nolan. “AT&T Preparing to Disconnect Landline Service.” SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 July 2013.
2. Lien, Tracey. “More than Half of U.S. Households Have Ditched Landline Phones.” SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 June 2018.
3. Mailonline, Charlie Bayliss For. “PwC Scraps Landlines in UK Offices with Staff Told to Use Mobiles.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 30 June 2018.
