The New Face Of Telephone Service?

Answer 1

The way Americans get their telephone service has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Almost since the invention of the telephone, those who have wanted telephone service in their homes were required to sign up with the telephone company. In the days before cell phones, landlines were the only options for keeping in touch with long distance family and friends, and the cost of services such as long distance calling was totally at the discretion of the phone companies.

Times have changed, and so has the way we get our telephone service. It is a buyer’s market, and more and more people are choosing to leave the telephone company out in the cold. The bad news for the telephone company began years ago, with a dramatic rise in the use of cellular phones. Suddenly, cell phones were becoming more affordable, and plans more inclusive. For most customers, it didn’t make sense to pay long distance charges when the cell phone companies allowed you to call anywhere in the country for the flat price of a minute of cell phone time. By 2005, most cell phone providers were offering unlimited night and weekend calling as part of a monthly calling plan, virtually eliminating the idea of long-distance calling.

The news got worse for Ma Bell as dial-up and DSL, popular forms of internet connectivity, started being steadily replaced by cable internet service. Many customers liked the convenience of getting services from one company, keeping installation and service fees lower. With television going digital and even the internet provided by cable, it wasn’t long before digital phone and VoIP services arrived on the scene. Services like Vonage have taken a chunk out of the telephone company’s business, offering plans with all the bells and whistles for around $20, packages that once cost over $100 a month for a landline.

Most businesses still use landlines, and telephone service for businesses is still largely handled by Ma Bell. However, there’s no doubt that the face of telecommunications is rapidly changing, and unless the telephone company starts to change with it, the traditional landline may one day become obsolete.