No more landline but had to tell older generation parents to ring our mobile numbers. They prefer landline numbers for some reason.

@LouieT,

It's all about change and we know older people don't always handle it well, they don't see why they have to, the world to them is fine exactly as it is!!

Landline numbers are only 8 digits and mobile numbers of course are 10 digits and calling a mobile number is more expensive, something the older generation is very wary of, spending money unnecessarily!!

I'm not old, well I don't think I am at 59 and I have embraced the computer, mobiles and texting but hubby who is 72, wants absolutely nothing to do with a computer and proudly says that he doesn't even know how to turn a computer on!! He will take and receive a call on his mobile, can't text and won't even press and hold "1" to dial 101 to listen to messages, so no one can leave him a message!!!

I hear you Barbara, the world does not stand still for anyone & my parents are in their 80's & dad is computer literate but not mum. He has been through the exercise of getting a new package to save costs but the providers still managed to get it wrong.

My hubby did not have a mobile till 3 years ago despite being a business owner. Now he is right into social media communicating with friends & family that way after I bought him an iPhone...now he says I should get one!

(My Samsung is just fine) Suri is one feature he likes to use while I just use mine for calls, texts & photos. The next generation of phones will no doubt be another test for the technically challenged...I say just ask anyone over 2 years old & they will work it out!

We only have to just think of the names of these phones for a moment, landline and mobile???

Landlines were always cheaper as the infrastructure was simple, just bury a line and connect it up to a main building, mobiles are for when we're on the go but at a premium cost, so I think the different phones still have their place!!

Think back to how it was before mobile phones became available to everyone!! If you were broken down, you had to go to a strange house to use the phone or worse, be stranded if there were no homes close by. It's such a fantastic thing now for people to be able to call for help having a mobile, that's the saving grace of it for me personally, not being alone, scared or stranded EVER.

I was once stranded on a desolate road at 2am and walked 2km to the first home that I could find was occupied and ask to use the phone to ring for help, now I just reach for the mobile, outstanding!!!

I have a mobile, a tablet and a desktop computer. The mobile is not a smartphone and I prepay $30 which lasts for one year. I only use the mobile if I am meeting someone on the day or to receive incoming calls, which is rare as my friends call on the landline. I don't like calling mobile numbers as they are expensive on my prepaid plan and my landline is bundled with my internet and calls are free.

The tablet is Wi-Fi only so costs me nothing. The landline is always reliable to hear, whereas mobiles sometimes give me grief. To those who complain about sales calls, my solution is to always have the answer machine on, tell friends that is what's happening, and if one calls and it comes up as a private number, just pick up when you hear them leaving a message. Nuisance callers won't leave a message. You can block them unless they come through as a private message.

We did a trip up into the Kimberley. You could travel for days with zero mobile phone coverage, so while they claim 97% of Australia is covered, they mean 97% of Australians, not 97% of the land mass. Heck, when we lived in Far South Coast NSW there were all sorts of gaps between the towns and villages. Oddly, Optus has pretty decent coverage in and around the towns, better in some cases than Telstra, while Vodaphone had virtually no coverage at all.

To Barbara...Hi! I don't have a mobile...except a cheap old Pre-pay for when I'm on the rod...nearest town is 65k down the highway. in between are acrea and acrs of farmlands.....and GRANITE...so we are lucky if we break down where thre's reception!

Since I don't have much use for a mobile there's no sense in getting one of those expensive satellite phones...But you are correct in saying that a mobile can be very handy. All I need is one that is a PHONE and nothing else. I only top it up if travelling. Those of us who live here "On the Granite Belt" let the others know where the 'reception areas' are along the way.

To jmm1837...maybe I should switch to Optus...though from my last recollection..Optus does not service us here....maybe its changed...worth investigation.

Hi Robin,

I agree that for the likes of you and me, a mobile with simple call and recieve call functions is adequate, nothing high tech is required.

I was a little worried about saying I'm with Telstra, everyone seems to hate them, their service or lack of and reception and or again their lack of but I've always been with them, get great service and great reception.

I have to say though, that reception can be hit and miss for allot of people, not me fortunately but again remember the lanline services every square inch of the country through actual wires but mobile service is via pings back and forth from one tower to the next, all wireless, an amazing feat really if you think about it!!

@LadyRob - I wasn't very clear in my comment - Optus was good where we lived, in far south NSW - but I wouldn't bet the farm on it in some parts of Australia.

To jmm1837....I wouldn't advise you to bet the frm on anything tech these days...they have their deaths built in. I must have had my old landine handset for at least 28yrs! And the ltte cheap Telstr mbile I bought on the run out to Charleville some 13 years ago is still as good as ever...its a keeper too. As for Optus...still do not know if they service here I live...for now Telstra seems to at least provide service to its customers.

I've got a Canadian landline handset that I bought in 1991, so I guess we're on a par there. For the reasons I explained in an earlier posting, I went more upmarket with my mobile because I was expecting to be quite reliant on it - what I didn't expect is that I now use it rather than the landline because it represents better value. (And since I live in a developed area, reception isn't an issue.)

Does no one enjoy harassing telemarketers anymore?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK1YWESOns8

Very interesting answers! I didn't even think of the fact that emergency services can trace landline numbers. I really do feel for call sales people – it would be a tough gig trying to get past "Hello I'm from ..."

Emily, they can actually pinpoint your exact address.

Hello! Who's this?

To oldroo

Love frustrating the thick accented telemerkters with an imitation of their English...thy do not understand me! Thanks for that LINK...what a laugh!

Got a phone call two evenings ago when I was otherwise unavailable to speak on the 'phone...had my cordless wth me as was expecting a call from overseas. Got the overseas call but not the one I was expecting...and they got a lot of static of a kind they would never have been expecting. Serves them right! Last night I received a call propositioning me! It as a young woman! Hope its not the one above who's saying HiHi!!! Does anyone know who she is on Houzz and what's the purpose of her message? I am sure the caller did not know she was propositioning an old lady asking her to send some photos...you know the kind...along with the offer to send me some...she's pretty and cute etc... Surely the WiFi lines have not got tangled up with the Landlines and Houzz has not branched out to "Meet Your Perfect Match"activities !

ROFL!!

Sorry Tribbletrouble4152k7 Trek.....I don't undrsand Textese! Honestly! And am a bit----or quite a bit dense when it comes to...well guess I don't beong to the 21st Century! I know a lot of other things though !!!!!...Watched a documentary a while back about the students trying to qulify for jobs as telemarketers in order to support their families..quite sad really and some rather well educated who cannot fins appropriate employment,,, I suppose we should be more tolerant... though, sometimes its too much for me.

LOL= laugh out loud.

ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing.

Oldroo, when I get those telemarketers I ask them for their supervisor, their full name, ID number and the business ABN or ACN number. I inform them that I am recording their conversation to be used against them as I am registered with the "Do Not Call" register and that I am putting in a compliant to the ACCC. Also they are not to hang up on me that they have to answer my questions and also get their supervisor on that line as well. I just hammer them in a calm and polite manner, tell them to be quiet, don't want to hear their spiel and they just don't seem to want to answer those questions; therefore they leave me alone for at least a few weeks or more. My hubby thinks I am the queen of the bitches.... don't give a flying hoot.

Merci Madame! Grazie Signora. Muchos Gracias......now I'm a citizen of Australia in the 21st Century!

YOLO= you only live once, or something to do with Oreos, which I forget.

Pity you forgot...I like OREOS! G'nite..thank for the laughs and dont trip over the landline cord OK?...and I don't know what OK is short for either!

OK is short for okee dokee made famous by Dr. Lecter.

Ok has always been ok. R u ok?

Well according to the ever reliable Online Etymology Dictionary ( a regular source of info for me - what can I say?!) OK is an 1830s American slang term for "oll korrect" which got confused with an election slogan for a presidential candidate whose nickname was Old Kinderhook and who was supported by the OK club (he got elected). So there you have it.

@Rima Jabr,

You will get a retro or vintage corded phone from an opp shop if you search around.

I have kept my corded Telstra phone from years ago and I keep it to do a test if I have a phone issue because if I have a fault, you have te be able to tell Telstra, as I'm with them, that you have one of "their" phones for a test otherwise if it ends up being a fault with your cordless, you could pay big time for an unnecessary call out.

At last count I have 5 corded phones 3 in use and the others spare. 1 for the voip line. 1 for the landline in the house and 1 on an extention in my office/workshop. Adding another voip phone there shortly.

I always pick them up if any one is thowing them out or if they are cheap in the op-shop/junk/recycle stores I will even buy them. The spares make great toys for the grandchildren as well. Stops the 3 year old making calls to Russia etc.

Freedom 1346...I'd be jealously keeping all of those!

What will you do about your VOIP if your computer dies from old age? Perish the thought! Do you know if VOIP works with a Dongle instead of a landline?

Some years back..before the advent of cordless....Oh! There's another term...landline, mobile, sattelite and cordless! Where did the old PHONE go?! I purchased a..mmm...'contraption' that allowed one to have a phone socket in any room by just plugging the phone into the...'gizmo' and setting it up...It had a command station and anothr little box thing you could move around from room to room and just plug into a power point then plug in the phone handset. Don't know if they are still available...got it from Big W! Handiest thing I ever bought...a phone socket in any room...of course one needed an extra corded phone handset. It died...the cat decided it was diverting my attention away from him so he ...you know!

***************************** Hi again Barbara! I came across a company that makes vintge phone handsets in the style of the 1930s that are very substantial. I am resolved to purchase at least two handsets...one of them in RED, the other BLACK! People here seem to hang on to their old corded handsets...WISH I could find a junk shop purchase!

I use a Sipura SPA Voicebox to connect the telstra phone via an ethernet(network cable) to the computer or direct to the modem router. Don't really need a computer for it to work once it is configured. That said Macs verry rarely die they are simply retired from everyday use to some other task and they keep plodding along. My current desktop machine is a Mac Pro 1.1 built 2006 and still doing all that I ask of it. 10 years old, not many Windows machines of that age are still in service.

Debrawood - don't know what happened here, your post only just came up. Unfortunately, there is nothing the ACCC can do about overseas telemarketers which is why we are constantly bombarded with calls from a particular country I don't wish to appear "racist" by naming, and, touch wood, I've found Australian businesses generally seem to be complying with the Do Not Call Register. Overseas people just laugh at it which is why I really enjoy having them on when I have time and I'm in the mood. They are paid by the call so wasting their time is the best way of getting even. I really do feel for people from that country who have settled here and have genuine reasons to make phone calls, they must get a lot of people hanging up on them.

Ollroo Having a VOIP cordless and a fixed landline..when a nuisance call comes in .only the VOIP cordless handset rings so I know and do not bother answering. Recently I have been getting "OVERSEAS CALLER" on the screen and, like you, I only answer when I'm in the mood. Wouldn't mind a landline wih a screen though. OK so the cordless phones are on 'charge' and still work in a power outage...bu I'd hate to be caught short...and do not have a mobile here.

YES, everybody, I still have a landline and for now I still like them. I suppose there's Internet on a Dongle plug in...but they are another unnecessary expense. There was a time back in the 70s where I did not even have a landline.....I'd use the car more often.

I can't believe anyone does! My in-laws just got rid of their one, and if they can do it, anyone can!

Miss Hayley, it isn't always as simple as that, even in the heart of cities there are black spots for mobile phones and internet - I live in one of them and it is an absolute pain. It has only been in recent years I've been able to get decent TV reception. My friends - mostly on limited incomes - don't like making mobile phone calls either because of the cost and if you aren't constantly making calls or texting, mobile phones can be very expensive.

NO, not everyone can do it for many and varied reasons.

Haven't used a landline in a million years (2 to be exact). After reading all the comments about marketing calls, I'm glad I don't have that problem anymore!

We are still building and just had the power cable put in and I insisted on a landline cable to go in at the same time.

Living in the country means bad reception or blackspots for mobiles as mentioned earlier and it isn't being fixed none too fast either!! We also have allot of older clients who still prefer to contact us on a landline because they dont all have mobile phones or if they do, they have the isues just mentioned, blackspots etc... and mobiles are still considered by some to be a financially extravagant way to make contact versus a landline!!

I guess the young ones don't remember a time when there were local and STD or long distance calls which used to cost an arm or a leg and these STD calls didn't mean you were calling interstate, it could be as simple as being 40km away.

I have a fixed landline monthly plan at very little cost which covers all local and STD calls and I could if I chose to, talk for several hours, still at no extra cost compared to a mobile.

Mobile plans are at a fixed rate like say getting $300 worth of free calls for $35 but you go over that plan and you can get a fair shock when the bill arrives.

Landlines as mentioned earlier are safer to use, always have clearer reception and really are still the cheapest way to keep in touch from home.

We still have a landline and hopefully always will. Firstly because we don't get mobile reception in the house, apparently because of the double glazing etc and secondly in case we need to phone for an emergency service. Our address will automatically show up on their system and I want to be able to phone them, not run around the back yard trying to get mobile reception and then having it disappear if I even move my arm. As you get older you need plenty of back up plans in place.

Barbara - I just love these $300 worth of free calls, honestly, who has TIME to make $300 worth of calls, I have a life and would much rather be out lunching WITH friends than sitting alone ringing or texting every person I know. Either that, or the call rate is very expensive.

Debrae - Definitely agree, as you get older your needs and priorities totally change but wouldn't change our old ways for what the young have today anyway.

@olldroo,

Ha-ha yes I know what you mean but actually with our farming business being very mobile as hay contractors, I do in fact use up $300 easily enough but only during the busy part of the season, about 3 months in a year, otherwise when the busy time is over, I somethimes don't even know where my phone is and hubby and I are often ringing each others phones to hear where the ringing is coming from, so when the phone is found, we check for calls and promptly put it down somewhere and forget where that is AGAIN ha-ha!!!

I must be really behind the times....in fact I KNOW that I am but what do you do about Internet connection? Ther will be plenty of Houzzers who will be telling me about the latest in technology after this comment...I welcome any educational input, I'm a cavewoman when it comes to technological advancements...even some of the terminology is a foreign language to me, Howe does one get NBN without a landline? My brother in WA...a real techno-fanatic just sent me an email about the latest "selfie stick"... mobile handset that turns into a drone....could be interesting. But back to the original subject...how can one do without landline? Maybe the answer lies in my latest Tunstall alarm system...magically it just needs a power socket, no longer a phone landline...and it works. Have not a clue how that works. Wonder if it would work if I had no wirless computer connections? I'm open to any xplanations.