AT&T recently announced plans to phase out its traditional landline phone service across nearly all U.S. states in its service area by 2029.
The company cited its 70-year-old copper wire infrastructure as outdated, costly to maintain, and less effective compared to modern fiber and wireless broadband networks. However, many argue that copper-based landlines remain the most reliable option, especially during power outages, earthquakes, or other natural disasters when newer technologies might fail.
Businesses, in particular, often depend on copper landlines for critical functions like security systems, fax machines, and emergency elevator phones. Alternatives such as cellphones or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services can be more expensive, require reliable internet or cellular connectivity, and depend on electricity — posing significant costs and challenges for businesses that would need to upgrade their systems to accommodate newer technology.
AT&T, one of the two largest telephone companies in the U.S., currently provides landline services in 21 states. This decision will affect nearly all of its service areas except California, where regulators recently rejected AT&T’s request to be relieved of its "Carrier of Last Resort" obligations. This rule mandates their maintenance of their copper-based networks, at least for now. It's expected that other telecom providers still offering copper wire services will also follow suit in the near future.
Do you still rely on traditional landlines for your business or home? If not, what type of phone service do you use? How will the discontinuation of landline service impact you?
