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Landlines: Your Emergency Lifeline in Outages?
3 Dec
Summary
- Landlines offer reliable communication during widespread mobile network failures.
- Many landlines function during power outages due to dedicated power sources.
- US landline usage dropped to only 29% of adults by 2022.
Recent widespread mobile network outages, including those affecting AT&T and Verizon, have underscored the critical importance of reliable communication. These disruptions left many without access to essential services, prompting a reconsideration of the landline telephone, once a standard home device.
Landlines utilize a separate infrastructure of copper phone lines, offering greater reliability and consistently clearer call quality compared to cellular networks. A significant advantage is their ability to function during power outages, a crucial feature for individuals in emergency services, healthcare, or those living in areas with unpredictable weather.
Despite a steep decline in usage, with only 29% of US adults having landlines in 2022, they remain valuable. Services like Google Voice can integrate landlines with other devices, and they are essential for legacy systems like analog fax machines used in many professional offices. Satellite-based internet is also emerging as an alternative for areas without traditional landline service.
