Cell phone-only homes surpass those with landlines

According to a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 percent of homes in the U.S. are cell phone-only, compared to 17 percent of homes that use only a landline telephone.  This is not a complete surprise – for years, homes have been dropping their landline service.  Cell phone price plans have become reasonable enough that most people feel their cell phone can act as their primary telephone.  Why pay for two telephone services?

Responsibility now falls on the shoulders of wireless providers to make their networks more reliable.  As more people choose to go wireless-only, the potential is there for their phone network to fail them in an emergency.  Landlines usually fail due to acts of God – lines coming down, for instance.  Cell phone networks can simply fail due to an extreme amount of network usage.  Ask those who went to South by Southwest how AT&T’s network treated them and you’ll get what I’m saying.

Hopefully, the wireless providers see the future and build their networks for it.  It’s very possible that, someday, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and all the rest could be the only telephone providers left standing.  And if we can’t depend on our telephones in an emergency – then what?

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