The Death Of The Traditional Landline

“While I’ll agree that traditional landlines are on the way out, I do believe they have several more years of life left in them,” Ron Kulik, owner of RMK Consulting, said.

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

The telephone as we know it was patented the telephone as we know it in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell.

While it may or may not have been the first telephone to exist, Bell’s patented invention was the first to become more available to the world population than earlier ones.

These days, over 50 percent of households in the United States depend entirely on cell phones. Several phone service providers are expected to phase out landlines by 2020.

Businesses have already begun to find alternatives to replace the traditional landline.

According to Daily Mail Journalist, Charlie Bayliss, in 2010 more than 10 million businesses were using a fixed-line phone; as of 2018, the number has dropped to 6.4 million.

Twenty-four of PwC’s, an accounting firm, UK-based offices have dropped landlines.

Some say these statistics are evidence that the sharp decline in landline use will continue, at least in the United States, where people prefer wireless devices for not only communication but also their news.

In 2009, AT&T wrote a letter to the FCC asking for permission to phase out analog landline service; the company also declared intentions to end copper Plain old telephone service by 2020.

However, some speculate the landline will be around for some time still.

“While I’ll agree that traditional landlines are on the way out, I do believe they have several more years of life left in them,” Ron Kulik, owner of RMK Consulting, said. “If for nothing else due to their reliability and call quality. One thing that is holding adoption back in many parts of the US is many small and rural towns lack any other reliable option such as high-speed internet (for VOIP) or reliable cellular services thus relying on the technology from 1876.”

Amr Ibrahim, small-business supporter and CEO of ULTATEL, says business owners must embrace new technology or risk being left behind.

Ibrahim says cloud-based VoIP systems are being considered the future for businesses when it comes to large- and small-scale communications.

According to Kulik, there are five benefits for using cloud-based communications on the business.

1. Cost effective: there is no longer a need for premise phone systems that are expensive to install and maintain.
2. Scalable: businesses only have to pay for what they use and can easily remove or add users to their system from a website.
3. Business Continuity: businesses can avoid downtime by rerouting calls to other phones or cell phones in the event of a disaster. And the system itself stays up and running.
4. Simplicity: a single webpage allows a user to configure an entire system, which eliminates the time spent on the phone with a service technician to reprogram or add/remove users.
5. Technology: as technology evolves, cloud-based phone systems will be easy to update to keep up with new advancements.

According to Kulik, currently, there is very little upfront cost associated with transitioning to Voice Over IP system.

“It’s cloud-based, so there is no on-premise equipment to install,” said Kulik. “The phones are plug and play and connect directly to the Internet using existing cabling in the office. And you only pay for what services you use.”

Ultimately, however, the shift to wireless communication could be a good thing for businesses. The cloud-based system could make communication less dependent on the home office as employees could be reached no matter where they were.

“I think It will have a positive effect. Businesses that had resisted adopting the new technology will realize the benefits once they are forced to make the change.” Said Kulik. “The technology that is tied with Voice Over IP phone systems make businesses better, they save time, and save money.”

RMK Consulting, LLC., was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in San Marcos, Texas with additional offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Along with VoIP services RMK offers IT Support Services, Managed IT Services, Managed IT Security and cloud computing solutions to businesses across Texas. Their Managed IT Services are designed to manage and protect your IT systems.

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• Local VOIPTel Launches New Business Service Elevate
• San Marcos Business, RMK Consulting Acquires Houston Based VoIPTel Communications