It's official: more cellphone lines than landlines in the US

It's not really a competition or anything, but the FCC just released a report confirming that as of late last year the number of cellphone lines in the U.S. officially surpassed the number of landlines. It's still pretty much 50/50 — at the time of the survey there were 181.1 million cellphone lines versus 177.9 million landlines (and it's not clear if they're counting VoIP lines from companies like Vonage) — but the shift towards wireless is undeniable.

[Daryl @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

But that doesnt count usage. It is possible that someone has a land line phone for reasons like FAX, and internet and still use a cell phone for making phone calls.

[icebin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I think so.

[pauline @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Some people have more than one cell phone because they keep seperate work and personal lines. Also, in a household for a family of four, there may only be one land line, but chances are that every member of the family has their own cell line.

[pauline @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

*wonders if Pete ever takes a break...or sleeps*

[Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

And I still won't get a cellphone.

[Chris McDowell @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Why would you not get a cellphone? They are very handy even if you dont talk alot. Say your car breaks down.... Call. Wanna check for directions to someones house cause your lost and halfway there.... Call. No one is going to give you a reward because you never got a cellphone. Your only screwing yourself over in the end. Not like they are a sin to use.

[Engadget Chinese @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I did a quick check here and realized that # of cellphone lines had exceeded land lines in year 2000 here in Taiwan... However, we are still suffering from high phone bills here for cellphone usage. I really don't feel like paying 20-30 cent (USD) per minute!

ref: http://www.dgt.gov.tw/chinese/About-dgt/Publication/94/images/pic-jpg/05.jpg

[Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Luke 23:34
I do great without one I've never been in a situation that requires one and I've never overheard any of those 181.1 million cellphones customers having an important conversation.
For now it's an annoyance not a convenience. in NYC during 9/11 and the blackout my landline worked and my girls' cellphone went dead. If I didn't have a landline I would've went running to the city like a mad Man.

[TZK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

How about age segregation. Im sure a lot of these lines are from 14-19 year olds, and dont have land lines because they done have apartments, or houses.

Give is a few years, it will shift back and forth I am sure.

[Nate Friedman @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

you can subtract one for both land line *AND* cellphone. (i'm canceling my cellphone soon�) all VOIP for me! (did you know the Skype has some damn good rates? and there service doesn't suck like vonnage's does)

[phoenix @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

To be perfectly honest, I think this makes absolute sense. VoIP isn't perfect yet and a lot of people are still reporting call dropping, lack of connectivity, broadband problems, and the rest-it's definitely not a perfect science, and landlines well, tie you to the land. I think that a lot of cellphones are expoding among people who are college-age and a bit younger, as they get their first phones for safety while driving (heh) and even beforehand because all their friends have one, but it's common knowledge that cellphones outnumber line usage in colleges and dormatories by a ridiculous amount; why pay more for a land line and have to pay outrageous fees for long distance when a cell phone with a national plan will ultimately cost you less?

This bleeds into older folks too-I don't see this switching at all, as I've gotten older and my friends have as well, leaving college we retain our cellphones as our primary phones because they're always on and we're always connected; a land-line would be just another bill to pay for something we'd probably never use. I think this trend will continue to rise.

Now if only we could teach people some cellphone etiquitte while this is all happening...

[Brad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

I am on the same page with pheonix. In college it made much more sense to have a cell phone then a land line, since every other semester I was moving and I could call back home without paying long distance. Now that I am married and have my own home, my wife and I both still have our cell phones, and a land line for the house would just be one more bill to pay. A family share plan for our cell phones makes much more sense for us, and its why eventually land lines will disappear.

[matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

in response to Brad (post 12): while land line's usage may decrease in upcoming years, i don't believe that they will ever dissapear entirely. with the ever increasing demand of power in cell phones, the battery life is forever decreasing. my new top-of-the-line lg cell only has a 2.6 hour battery life, and thats what they 'say' it is. i probably get only two at most in my low-reception area. while yes, for people who use their phones for important communications taking only a few minutes cell phones will take over, but for people like myself who use the phone for chit-chatting will always need the land line, with our handsets that don't have cameras or color screens and don't need very much battery, we'll keep our land lines, please.

[telecom rep @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

i confirm this statistic does not really mean cellphones have overtaken landline usage, just that there are more cell numbers issued than landlines.

many families only need one or two landlines but have a cell for 2-5 members of the family.

i would even guess the minutes used on landlines still outpaces cellphone minutes. think about it, 43,000 included minutes each month on the landline.

www.telecommer.com has more telecom advice and info.

[Kiran Wagle @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

"TZK writes: How about age segregation. Im sure a lot of these lines are from 14-19 year olds, and dont have land lines because they done have apartments, or houses. Give is a few years, it will shift back and forth I am sure."

And when they have apartments or houses, they won't have landlines because they already have cellphones--and unlike old people, their brains aren't filled with the notion that cellphones are somehow horrendously unreliable and you "need" a landline for "emergencies."

(Some people say "landlines save lives." But--if you're not so old that you spend most of your time at home--your cellphone is far more likely to be handy when you need to save a life, and if you do have an emergency at home, you can always borrow your housemate's cellphone. :-))

A young friend (she's 23, I'm 40) who's recently moved to the (Boston) area (and who doesn't have a cellphone) reports that not only does her house not have a landline, but nowadays the same is true of lots of group houses. Apparently the tenants, being young and thus relatively poor, dump the landline to save money (which can be a considerable sum--as much as $60.) And these landlines never get reconnected because nobody wants to pay for a share of something they don't use, and if you're paying the whole bill it's cheaper to get a cellphone.

So I think that if you give it a few years, the young people who grew up with cellphones just won't bother, because they don't miss the landline they never used anyway (I don't even know the number for our landline) and they all have personal phones that they can ignore with impunity, turn off when they're trying to sleep, and take wherever they go.

~ Kiran

[eric @ Dec 19th 2005 12:17AM]

Does anyone have any figures on:
1. Total cell phone minutes used in the world
2. Total cell phone minutes used in the U.S.
3. Total cell phone minutes used to make international calls, i.e. US to Europe/Asia/Australia etc (including Canada) or Europe to Asia/US/Africa/India/China etc.
4. Total landline phone minutes used for international calls in the world
5. Total landline phone minutes used from US to international?