Percentage of people who still use landline phones?

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#1332753 27-Jun-2015 20:45

Geektastic:
kiwitrc: Interesting comments, we have a VOIP line but only because my mother in law calls us on it. We were going to set up an 0800 number (on my wifes phone not bloody mine) but then realised there would be no peace when we were away for the weekend. She wont call our mobiles unless there is an emergency, so its kind of $10/month peace and quiet tax.

Like others have said, we hardly touch our generous VF mobile plan for calls.

If she won't call mobiles, surely getting rid of any other option gets you MORE peace and quiet? ;-)

I did suggest that, but celibacy doesn't suit me.

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#1332779 27-Jun-2015 22:55

BigPipeNZ: Percentage of people who use a landline?
Or
Percentage of people who have a landline?

Those are likely to be two quite different stats.

Good point. Although I suspect that if people do have a landline, they will likely still use it very occasionally, especially those people on prepaid mobiles who have to pay per phone call. I would say many people over 30 are still big users. The elderly/people over 60, would be the biggest users. I only have a prepaid mobile for phone calling, so when I see a mobile number that I have to call, I either look for an 0800 one, or look for the landline number, and call that from a landline, as it will be free.

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#1332781 27-Jun-2015 23:15

mattwnz:
Good point. Although I suspect that if people do have a landline, they will likely still use it very occasionally, especially those people on prepaid mobiles who have to pay per phone call. I would say many people over 30 are still big users. The elderly/people over 60, would be the biggest users. I only have a prepaid mobile for phone calling, so when I see a mobile number that I have to call, I either look for an 0800 one, or look for the landline number, and call that from a landline, as it will be free.

I do the opposite. I skip past 0800 and landline numbers and just call mobiles since I want to call a person and not a call center or a place which the others usually go to.

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#1332790 27-Jun-2015 23:22

We've recently cancelled ours. On a per call cost for the few that we receive it's just not worth it.

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#1332811 27-Jun-2015 23:38

More like a cost per call you actually want. Plenty of the "Hello its the microsoft" and similar calls that take the average cost per call down to a couple of dollars each, its the 2-3 per month that you want that end up costing $15 a call.

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#1332947 28-Jun-2015 13:17

kiwitrc:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc: Interesting comments, we have a VOIP line but only because my mother in law calls us on it. We were going to set up an 0800 number (on my wifes phone not bloody mine) but then realised there would be no peace when we were away for the weekend. She wont call our mobiles unless there is an emergency, so its kind of $10/month peace and quiet tax.

Like others have said, we hardly touch our generous VF mobile plan for calls.

If she won't call mobiles, surely getting rid of any other option gets you MORE peace and quiet? ;-)

I did suggest that, but celibacy doesn't suit me.

It would be a tough one to balance peace and quiet and sex. I think peace and quiet would probably win for me!

Of course my MiL is daft and also lives on the other side of planet. She can't work Skype, won't ring mobiles, seemingly cannot email and seems content with her aged cat and my BiL and new child to fill her days!

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#1332955 28-Jun-2015 13:49

I thought briefly about ditching POTS even buying a Linksys VoIP adapter and working out the wiring I needed. But then I found out the cost of changing my monitored alarm to use cellular and gave up.

I still use my VoIP device but for a US landline for making outbound low cost calls. And I also bough a Obitalk OBI100 VoIP adapter which when combined with a Google Voice account lets me make free calls to the US and have my Google Voice number ring at my home (good for when I want my daughter to be able to call home from her cell without having to make an international call).

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#1332975 28-Jun-2015 15:09

Geektastic:
kiwitrc:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc: Interesting comments, we have a VOIP line but only because my mother in law calls us on it. We were going to set up an 0800 number (on my wifes phone not bloody mine) but then realised there would be no peace when we were away for the weekend. She wont call our mobiles unless there is an emergency, so its kind of $10/month peace and quiet tax.

Like others have said, we hardly touch our generous VF mobile plan for calls.

If she won't call mobiles, surely getting rid of any other option gets you MORE peace and quiet? ;-)

I did suggest that, but celibacy doesn't suit me.

It would be a tough one to balance peace and quiet and sex. I think peace and quiet would probably win for me!

Of course my MiL is daft and also lives on the other side of planet. She can't work Skype, won't ring mobiles, seemingly cannot email and seems content with her aged cat and my BiL and new child to fill her days!

I admire your audacity but she actually raised your wife from the time she wasn't able to eat or clean her own poop till you snatched her away!

richms

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#1332980 28-Jun-2015 15:12

Doesn't mean that they aren't bats..t insane.

I would just stop answering calls unless you are not busy doing something else. If tthey complain just sorry was busy is all you need to say.

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mattwnz

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#1332981 28-Jun-2015 15:20

MileHighKiwi: We've recently cancelled ours. On a per call cost for the few that we receive it's just not worth it.

It 's more for dialing out calling locally/ or nationally at no additional cost. The other half is always on the phone. But these days people do seem to use the phone less for calling and more for data. May not be the greatest thing though in terms of socializing. I hardly every use my mobile for actual calling, it is used for it's apps.

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#1333073 28-Jun-2015 21:02

Asmodeus: Hey guys,

Not sure which forum to put this in so mods feel free to move if there is a more appropriate one.

Just wondering if anyone knows, or if there is a way to find out, what percentage of people are still using the old school landline phones? This would not include VOIP so basically the % of people with landlines vs % with voip or mobile only. Pref stats in Auckland but NZ would be fine. Ballpark estimate OK.

Any ideas?

Cheers

We have a landline. It's mainly because my wife wants one so her elderly mother can call us on it. Her mother won't call a mobile phone.

But the vast majority (95%) of incoming calls go to voicemail....which we do check.

I never give out the landline number. I give everyone my mobile number. On my mobile, I don't answer calls from a "Private Number". I often won't answer a call to my mobile from anyone who isn't already in my Contacts.

I tell any service provider - retail or tradespeople - that I prefer email. This is so I have a 'paper' trail of any communications. As far as I'm concerned, if a call isn't recorded or documented, it may as well have never happened at all....and that's the goal.

Social calls? I arrange them via txt or email or Viber or something else. Basically calls by appointment. Or I make the call on Hangouts or Viber. Skype died for me when Microsoft bought it.

When I think back to the hours I used to waste on the phone.......talking to people about stuff that basically evaporated as soon as the phones were hung up.

Life is to short for that.

How many people have landline? Fewer all the time. I don't think anyone really knows except maybe the GCSB. They will have the only overview.

Aside (in addition to my previous asides) - I actually saw someone use phone book yesterday. Made me realise I probably haven't used an actual paper phone book to make a call in over a decade....

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#1333077 28-Jun-2015 21:17

joker97:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc: Interesting comments, we have a VOIP line but only because my mother in law calls us on it. We were going to set up an 0800 number (on my wifes phone not bloody mine) but then realised there would be no peace when we were away for the weekend. She wont call our mobiles unless there is an emergency, so its kind of $10/month peace and quiet tax.

Like others have said, we hardly touch our generous VF mobile plan for calls.

If she won't call mobiles, surely getting rid of any other option gets you MORE peace and quiet? ;-)

I did suggest that, but celibacy doesn't suit me.

It would be a tough one to balance peace and quiet and sex. I think peace and quiet would probably win for me!

Of course my MiL is daft and also lives on the other side of planet. She can't work Skype, won't ring mobiles, seemingly cannot email and seems content with her aged cat and my BiL and new child to fill her days!

I admire your audacity but she actually raised your wife from the time she wasn't able to eat or clean her own poop till you snatched her away!

And? My own mother is there too - god forbid she should discover a way of phoning me up on spec unannounced and wittering on about the cat, the weather, the price of vegetables or any of her other usual topics.

It takes a chap time to prepare for that sort of thing - very unsettling to have someone talk the hind legs off a donkey in your ear when caught unawares.

bongojona

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#1333160 29-Jun-2015 08:46

Unfortunately I still have a landline

my wife insists on keeping it so her elderly Aunties can call her...

Yes I have explained about a VoIP number but to no avail

I think the numbers will be still high thoughout NZ

reven

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#1333165 29-Jun-2015 09:06

I have a 2talk voip setup as landline I use. Mostly for my parents to call on, but cellphone reception is crap in my area for 2degrees (I'm in manurewa, south auckland...)

Once my contract is up on 2d, ill buy a skinny sim and see if that improves my issues, if it does Ill probably ditch the voip then. costs me around $7 a month, which isnt much but its $7 I could spend on steam games or a few beers :)

Fred99

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#1333166 29-Jun-2015 09:11

Geektastic:
joker97:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc:
Geektastic:
kiwitrc: Interesting comments, we have a VOIP line but only because my mother in law calls us on it. We were going to set up an 0800 number (on my wifes phone not bloody mine) but then realised there would be no peace when we were away for the weekend. She wont call our mobiles unless there is an emergency, so its kind of $10/month peace and quiet tax.

Like others have said, we hardly touch our generous VF mobile plan for calls.

If she won't call mobiles, surely getting rid of any other option gets you MORE peace and quiet? ;-)

I did suggest that, but celibacy doesn't suit me.

It would be a tough one to balance peace and quiet and sex. I think peace and quiet would probably win for me!

Of course my MiL is daft and also lives on the other side of planet. She can't work Skype, won't ring mobiles, seemingly cannot email and seems content with her aged cat and my BiL and new child to fill her days!

I admire your audacity but she actually raised your wife from the time she wasn't able to eat or clean her own poop till you snatched her away!

And? My own mother is there too - god forbid she should discover a way of phoning me up on spec unannounced and wittering on about the cat, the weather, the price of vegetables or any of her other usual topics.

It takes a chap time to prepare for that sort of thing - very unsettling to have someone talk the hind legs off a donkey in your ear when caught unawares.

It's probably just nervous chatter.
While dialing your number, she's probably praying that the geek who married her daughter doesn't answer, lest she'll have to listen to a monologue about the price of flash memory, how the unusual weather correlates to climate change - but proves nothing, and how the internet was invented primarily for the entertainment of cat lovers.

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