Comments on: Do You Need a Landline?

By: telefone, celular, fixo, mudança, ligados, trabalho, mobilidade — Lino Resende LINO RESENDE

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:03:47 +0000

[...] Internacional de Telecomunicações sobre o mercado de celular. E a segunda, um artigo na Web Work Daily sobre o uso do celular como único telefone de contato. No primeiro caso, veio a informação de [...]

By: Tsahi Levent-Levi

Tsahi Levent-Levi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:25:12 +0000

I share your views (or at least some of them). It's not a matter of a copper landline versus a mobile phone, but rather a desktop kind of a phone versus a PC software client like Skype versus Mobile. While to some extent a mobile phone can replace the other two, I don't see the PC client replacing a desktop phone.

By: Chris H.

Chris H. — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:26:03 +0000

I haven’t had a landline in 5 years. My parents don’t even have a landline anymore. It is interesting to read some of the reasons why people keep their landlines around, although some of those are problematic and/or non-issues:

- Landlines do use electricity, but the current is carried over the phone line, not the electrical line–if the telephone line is knocked out in a storm, the landline is useless

- Companies like eFax have offered fax services for years without requiring a telephone line

- As mentioned in other comments, VoIP services like Skype offer in-bound phone numbers. Google Voice offers in-bound numbers as well

- Some phone companies are now offering DSL without an accompanying line (the wiring is still there, obviously, you’re just not paying for phone service)

By: Simon Mackie

Simon Mackie — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:02:14 +0000

Yes it can, it has an add-on service called SkypeIn (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/onlinenumber/) which gives you a number that regular phones can call.

By: U. Law

U. Law — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:00:36 +0000

Anyone know whether Skype can be set up so as to receive incoming calls from people calling from a landline or cell phone?

By: Karalyn

Karalyn — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:01:30 +0000

Well, for us “location independent professionals” a cell phone may be the best we have available. I am a Virtual Assistant currently living (and traveling) full-time in my RV. I use a USB Sprint card for internet access, which is beautiful. And, in truth, it’s as fast or faster than my last cable connection was in SoCal when I moved out of the house. But it does not do well with VOIP — the sound reproduction quality can sometimes be wacky or a bit intermittent. So the cell phone it is. My clients know I am traveling and that I check email often. Frankly, I prefer emails to phone anyway, as it gives me a paper trail for use in my work.

I got rid of my land line at the house 12 years ago. At the time I was still working in a law office with an hour’s commute on each end. The only calls I got at home were telemarketers and I didn’t want to pay for them to bug me!

By: Jeff Yablon

Jeff Yablon — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:38:40 +0000

I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous.

No, of course you don’t need “copper” per se.

But to assume that you can get by on just your cell phone and run a business (whoops! Battery Died! Whoops! Lost It! Whoop! Dropped it in a puddle!”) is flat-out naive and says “this is not someone you want to do business WITH”!

Geez . . . Get a MagicJack if you’re incredibly cheap, or inexpensive service from a VoIP provider. But having your cell phone be “it”? Wow.

Jeff Yablon
President & CEO
Answer Guy and Virtual VIP Computer Care, Business Coaching and Virtual Assistant Services

By: Denise Dorman

Denise Dorman — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:31:46 +0000

I agree with Camilo Payan – we were hit by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and the only way to communicate with the world since we had no power was through the landline. It’s not enough to just have a landline – you also need a corded phone when the power goes out. Actually, in Illinois the same issue presents a problem during ice storms, etc.

By: justadad

justadad — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:32:41 +0000

We have not had a land line in several years since we moved. We rationalized that one phone we carried with us at most times, the other was chained to a wall and we had to go there to use it.

Would have one again if our local ISP would sell us a line “naked” (without phone service), or at least with a plan that is free each month with expensive usage fees. We would have DSL without hooking up an actual phone, but wont since it is $60 a month ($30 phone line minimum, $30 DSL).

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:13:06 +0000

Like others I would prefer to drop the landline except for the ‘buts’.
But #1 – I use DSL. I live in one of those neighborhoods where cable internet connectivity drops to near zero when all of the kids come home from school.

But #2 – Because of my work, the home office has high end directional mikes and speakers so I can work hands free and the quality of cell phone connection is not up to the task. See But #1 for Voip.

As for faxes, I use an internet fax service,(eFax) which works very well and is not tied to a specific fax machine.

By: Joff

Joff — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:31:57 +0000

I work with a lot of local clients in the UK and have been told on a couple of occasions that they (client) prefer to deal with suppliers with a geographically local telephone number, as opposed to a mobile or non-geographic (0845) number.

For me I’m guessing it gives some clients reassurance that I’m a real person, doing the job for a living and not as a sideline in my lunch break.

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:30:05 +0000

I would love to ditch the landline… but my home security system uses the landline. I wish I could have it utilize my internet connection for emergencies, but after going through a recent house fire I realized that with the power going out the routers were knocked out.

By: Simon Mackie

Simon Mackie — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:46:55 +0000

I need a landline simply because without it, I can’t get DSL (living in the UK) — I don’t really use it for anything else, though.

By: jtrigsby

jtrigsby — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:19:46 +0000

We had talked about dropping the land line for a long time since everyone in the house had a cell phone. The only real reason to keep it around was the security system. Then we made a move, changed carriers to get the best service in our new house… and dropped the land line.

I live on my cell phone (Google voice now actually) and I love it. Works really well for us.

I try very hard not to deal with faxes. “Is a scanned copy via email ok?” usually works just fine.

@jtrigsby

By: Bill DiBenedetto

Bill DiBenedetto — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:51:36 +0000

I can’t remember when I last had a landline, and when I did have one it was used exclusively for faxing. I rarely have need a need to fax anymore so my cell has been my one and only number for many years. I can’t imagine having to pay for two phone services. Just doesn’t make sense for me.

By: Camilo Payan

Camilo Payan — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:39:28 +0000

I have to say that, living in Miami, landlines are a must. Cell service is non-existent when Mother Nature sends a hurricane, so an old fashioned land connected phone that doesn’t need any electricity is pivotal to getting information.

So basically, this should be a non-issue for anyone living in a place with consistent natural disasters.