As soon as mobile technology became available to the masses, many commentators began predicting the death of the landline. A few years ago, the idea that landlines would be obsolete by 2011 would have seemed entirely plausible. Market penetration for mobile phones in the UK is already well over 100% (there’s more than 1 mobile phone for every person), and many people do use mobiles for all their personal calls. Even if landlines disappear completely from people’s homes, however, it may take a lot longer for the corporate world to phase out business phone lines.
The overwhelming majority of businesses still use landlines all day, every day. Despite incredible technological advances, the reality right now is that the alternatives just don’t do the job well enough or cheaply enough.
That’s not to say that businesses can’t save money by using VoIP, mobile phones and other wireless technologies, but most companies see the cost of replacing their existing technology as being prohibitive. Also, sometimes landlines are actually the cheapest option – consider the cost of making VoIP calls from overseas, for example.
For many businesses, security is a central consideration. When it comes to security, landlines are hard to beat – experienced hackers can access conversations on a mobile phone or through VoIP with relatively little difficulty, but can’t infiltrate landlines. The recent News of the World phone-hacking scandal in the UK, where 100s of voicemails were accessed illicitly, proves how vulnerable mobile phones can be.
When it comes to reliability, landlines are, once again, in a league of their own. It’s true that the sound quality on mobiles and VoIP has improved significantly since these technologies were introduced, but there is always a chance that you’ll lose your reception or get interference with the signal.
As things stand, landlines still offer the best balance of cost, security and reliability. There are perhaps also less tangible reasons for their enduring popularity – nostalgia certainly plays a part, and landlines encourage particular ways of working that businesses don’t want to abandon. Wireless communication is definitely convenient, but it can also be inimical to a focused, disciplined workforce.
There is a risk that salespeople will end up, consciously or otherwise, chatting on the phone instead of concentrating on their next sale. If landlines do eventually become extinct, the days of sitting at your desk to complete the day’s work may also disappear. For now, though, landlines are certainly not an endangered species.
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