Verizon Chief Declares Landlines Dead (And He's Probably Right)

Landline phones are dead. Done. Over with. Old hat. So last year. In effect, that's exactly how Verizon Communications chief Ivan Seidenberg feels, and you know when Verizon's head honcho says landlines are done, they're done. But really, everyone knew this day was coming. People have been shutting off their landlines and going mobile-only for years now. With mobile minutes easier to come by, Skype becoming pervasive and Google Voice taking things even further into the digital realm, there's hardly a need for standard landlines anymore.

Mr. Seidenberg, while speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference, noted that Verizon simply wasn't concerned any longer with phones connected to wires. Granted, Verizon is pushing the voice aspect of its FiOS service rather hard, but that relies on fiber and the same decentralized environment that the Internet enjoys. Seidenberg noted that "video is going to be the core product in the fixed line business," asserting that these video/landline bundles will shortly morph into video/cellphone bundles.


To be honest, there are still tons of landline numbers connected in America and around the world. They won't vanish overnight, and they won't all be disconnected at a moment's notice. But there's no denying that the momentum is gone, and people are definitely switching to mobile devices and Internet-based calling services. Have you made the switch? If so, how long ago did you kiss your landline goodbye?