End of the landline as mobiles ring changes

THEY were once the linchpin of communication, allowing householders to make contact with friends and family on the other side of the world – or just next door.

Now supermarket giant Asda has declared landline phones to be obsolete, believing they will soon become as outdated as cassette tapes, video recorders and hostess trolleys.

The firm is planning to phase out sales of landline phones at its stores after a surge in the take-up of smartphones and plummeting sales of fixed-line handsets.

Modern technological advances, such as smartphones and internet based phone service Skype, have replaced the traditional fixed phone handset as a communications must-have, Asda claimed, adding that a survey showed that abouthalf of young people aged between 18 and 34 said they never use a landline to make a call. Across all age groups, the figure was a third.

A further 19 per cent of the 55-plus age group do not use their home phone for calls and a further 28 per cent of the same age group can imagine not needing their home phone within six months.

“Standing in one place to make a call just doesn’t make sense any more, nor does untangling the wire, so we’ve decided to hang up on sales of landline phones,” said James McMurrough, Asda mobile buyer. “The truth is that mobiles are more powerful, more affordable and more convenient and there just isn’t a compelling reason to have a landline phone any more.”

According to the latest figures from telecommunications regulator Ofcom, just 85 per cent of people now have a landline at home – and the proportion is even lower north of the Border, at 80 per cent. The landline figure has dropped substantially from that of 11 years ago, when 93 per cent of people had a fixed phone line in their homes.

Conversely, the take-up of mobiles has soared – from 50 per cent of people in 2000 to 91 per cent today. Other surveys have shown that while not everyone in the UK may own a mobile, often those who do have more than one, taking saturation of the device well above 100 per cent.

However, while the number of households which have a landline has dropped, the total number of installed landlines in the UK – including office buildings and households which choose to have more than one line – rose by 11,000 to 25 million.

Asda claimed that sales of landline handsets have fallen significantly in the past year while mobile phone sales have grown.

“As technology evolves, so do consumer habits, therefore it comes as no surprise to see that Asda’s research shows mobile calls are beginning to overtake those made on landlines, said Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com.

“The convenience, ease of use and portability of the mobile phone has inevitably seen it surpass the landline in many consumers’ lives.”

But he added that he believes there will always be a place in people’s homes for a landline.

“Despite the fact that younger people are relying less on their landline and preferring to have a mobile point of contact, there will always be a core set of users – the elderly, for example – who are less willing to embrace new technology and are therefore likely to remain reliant on their home phones,” said Mr Doku.

A spokeswoman for Asda rival Tesco said sales of landline handsets had actually increased over the previous year and insisted the store had no plans to scale back its range of the product.

“Tesco has experienced year-on-year increases on sales of handsets, and this is holding true in the current year to date,” she said.

She added: “In terms of telephone usage, many people prefer to maintain the landline, particularly those who like to sit and talk at length on the phone.”

Department store chain John Lewis agreed, claiming the landline was becoming a “statement” piece of furniture as designs become more innovative and futuristic.

“Landline phones remain a big market in the UK,” said Adam Brown, telecoms buyer for the retailer. “They are clearly still important to our customers and we intend to continue stocking them.”

Martyn Hocking, editor, at consumer magazine Which? said that a recent Which? Conversation poll showed that 69 per cent of consumers claimed to use their landlines “all the time”.

“Landlines are far from obsolete,” he said. “However, a significant minority, 11 per cent, thought they were pointless.”

l Additional reporting Donald Ramsay