Items tagged with landline
Two of the biggest telecoms in the U.S. -- AT&T and Verizon Communications -- are on a mission to make landlines nothing more than a footnote in the history of telecommunication. One state at a time, the two companies are lobbying for permission to replace POTS -- the copper-wired landline phone system -- with Internet-based systems that use the same wired and wireless broadband networks that we use for cable programming and accessing the web. According to The Wall Street Journal, Michigan last week became the latest state of more than 30 to have passed or consider passing laws that eliminate "carrier of last resort" mandates, meaning U.S. citizens in such states would no longer be guaranteed...
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It already happened in the home, and now it's happening on college campuses everywhere: landline phones are vanishing. With the proliferation of cellphones, it has made it harder and harder for landline services to prove necessary. Even VoIP-based services such as digital phone from a cable company or Vonage seem limited in use, with the only true benefit being cheap/free calling overseas. But with the iPhone able to handle cheap Skype Out calls now, even that point is becoming moot. There's no question that landline use has been declining in the home while mobile use has been on the rise, and it's only a matter of time before the landline as we know takes a very secondary position in our hierarchy...
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It's not uncommon for us to miss a call when we're at home, particularly if our cell phone is in the other room and we can't hear it ring or simply can't get to it in time. Thanks to Panasonic's new Link-to-Cell system, you may not miss quite as many calls. The system targets busy professionals and multitasking parents who want the ability to answer their cell phone from multiple handsets. Link-to-Cell uses Bluetooth technology to connect your cell phone to a Panasonic handset. With the system, you can make and receive phone calls using Panasonic handsets placed throughout the house. Simply place the Panasonic base unit in a place where the mobile phone receives a good connection to the cellular...
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According to data reported by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four households has traded in their landline telephone for a cell phone. As you may expect, this trend is increasing. In the beginning of 2006, just 11 percent of homes had only a cell and no landline. This move away from traditional landline phones has had a far-reaching effect. Telephone companies are not the only ones affected, either. Polling firms and government agencies that gather data also face additional challenges as a result of the decrease in landlines. Additionally, 911 service providers have had to find additional options when it comes to locating people who are in need of help. Today, just...
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Verizon's chief has already declared the landline "dead," but if you're still hanging onto your landline phone while the grave is being dug, you just might be interested in this. VTech is taking landline phones where they've never gone before, with its DS6321-3 being the first cordless phone system capable of downloading cellular phonebook directory entries using Bluetooth technology.Furthermore, users can connect up to four Bluetooth devices (two of which can be mobile phones) to the phone, enabling them to actually have mobile calls with the landline handset. In other words, you can have your cellphone charging in your bedroom, and if someone calls it, you can answer the call via your landline...
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Landline phones are dead. Done. Over with. Old hat. So last year. In effect, that's exactly how Verizon Communications chief Ivan Seidenberg feels, and you know when Verizon's head honcho says landlines are done, they're done. But really, everyone knew this day was coming. People have been shutting off their landlines and going mobile-only for years now. With mobile minutes easier to come by, Skype becoming pervasive and Google Voice taking things even further into the digital realm, there's hardly a need for standard landlines anymore. Mr. Seidenberg, while speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference, noted that Verizon simply wasn't concerned any longer with phones connected to wires. Granted,...
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