Since there are more mobile phones in the UK than there are people according to the CIA hand book, why are there still so many home phones in use? For most of us mobile phones far exceed home phones in every aspect especially convenience and functionality, but still home phones are used. Mobile phones provide identical services to the home phone as well as many more that the home phone is incapable of. With the exception of lower tariffs currently, there are no fields in which the home phones out performs the mobile.
Fixed line suppliers are heavily backing the use of cordless phones in the home to try and slow the move from fixed line to mobile phones. Obviously since mobile phones are mobile to a far greater degree and the different functions that cordless phones offer are almost all standard for mobile phones, home phones offer poor competition. The only way for fixed line suppliers to win this war will be truly innovative, something that is obviously not happening currently.
It is the new, innovative features of mobile phones including the capacity for mobile internet and cameras that truly mark the final descent into obsolescence of the home phone. 85% of the phones available have integrated cameras, making them almost as commonplace as colour screens in mobile phones. In comparison, less than 85% of home phones even have a digital read out, let alone a colour screen. Even if fixed line providers had the brilliant idea to add cameras to home phones they would be pointless. Cameras are intended to capture interesting moments, which most often seem to happen out of the home.
Home phones still provide the same old features and they will never be capable of being used in the same manner as mobile phones due to user movement restrictions. The mobility is also seen as one of the reasons why service providers cannot base service information on a mobile phone number. Or at least that?s what they?re telling us, but how much of that is true and not deals made with fixed line operators isn?t well known. Or operator, since BT is very obviously monopolizing the fixed line industry. That monopoly and BT?s inability to provide a decent service are a major factor in driving people to use mobile phones. Therefore its greatest advantage becomes a major advantage for home phones in this battle.
With a home phone, no matter the range of the transmitter, you will always be tied to one area. While numerous large service providers of different types keep demanding a home phone line the home phone will appear to be obsolete, even though it is. Any changes made to the functionality of home phones would just result in them becoming a new type of mobile phone.
Dial-a-Phone has supplied mobile phones on monthly contract to 2.9 million customers, and since it launched in 2000 over 550,000 customers have connected from the website. Further information can be found in the Dialaphone Blog at: http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/
Tags: monopoly, internet, era
