By C. A. Bridges, Samantha Neely and Carly Sauvageau
The era of the landline is ending … at least for most AT&T users.
Customers will be transitioned to newer services such as cellular networks or fiber options. An AT&T spokesperson told the Reno Gazette Journal in an email, “No customer will be left without access to phone or 911 service.”
AT&T said that it is getting rid of its copper-based networks because they are “outdated and unreliable due to aging technology, increased copper theft and disasters,” and repairs take longer compared to fiber and wireless technologies.
In most states, AT&T can simply move forward. But in California, the telecommunications company has been battling state law and the California Public Utilities Commission. On June 29, the Federal Communications Commission approved a petition by AT&T to end the service, although there are still procedural hurdles and a federal court case in the way.
Here’s how this upcoming change will impact customers in Nevada.
What are landlines?
Copper-based landlines are telephones that connect to a global communications network by a physical wire or cable. It was the default phone for more than a century.
From the time home phones became commonplace in the 1920s until 2015, when smartphone sales started booming, if you were on a phone, you were almost certainly tethered to a wall somewhere.
There are landlines that aren’t copper-based, operating using internet instead of by physical wire.
Why don’t people want to give up landlines?
Some people in rural areas without reliable cell service are concerned about not having a working phone for emergencies or 911 calls. And cellular companies sometimes fail or may be targeted by cyberattacks.
Nevada also has high winds, storms, fires and mountainous terrain. Landlines continue to work without power and under harsh conditions, unless the phone lines themselves are damaged.
“We are only upgrading customers in areas where there is reliable connectivity available from AT&T,” the company told the RGJ.
Some landlines are also dedicated for fax machines, alarm systems, medical monitoring and other analog data uses, things that some users may fear they’d lose.
How common are landlines in Nevada? Less than 5%
By the end of 2024, more than 80% of Americans lived in homes without landlines, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The percentages for people with landlines increased as the age ranges got older.
In Nevada, more than 80% of adults were wireless-only or wireless-mostly, 2.8% used both wireless and landlines, and 1.3% were landline-only, according to a 2023 survey.
When will AT&T eliminate landlines?
AT&T is aiming to eliminate traditional, copper-based landlines by the end of 2029, the company said.
The company allocated five years for the shift to give customers and the Federal Communications Commission proper notice, an AT&T representative told USA TODAY. Mobile carriers must get permission from the FCC before discontinuing landline services for both new and existing customers.
“This is a multiyear process to ensure that every single customer has voice and 911 and access to an alternative before we are able to discontinue the copper-based landline service,” the AT&T spokesperson said.
Don’t want to give up your landline? Here’s what Nevada AT&T landline users can do
For customers who don’t want or need a fiberoptic broadband connection, AT&T offers “AT&T Phone-Advanced.”
AP-A works as a landline alternative that can be used to connect your existing landline phone to AT&T’s wireless network or most broadband connections. The AP-A antennas add a gain in signal to what’s already available in the home, the company said.
You can even keep your old phone number, and AP-A works for fax lines, alarms, medical monitoring and other analog data services.
Nevadans are also free to switch over to another mobile carrier. Spectrum and Verizon still offer home phone services, although, like AT&T Phone-Advanced, they all work by connecting to a wireless or broadband option. Be sure to check their websites to see if coverage is available in your area.
Will I be notified if AT&T is taking my landline?
AT&T said they are reaching out to affected customers by mail, email and phone calls about changes to landline operations, the company said.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
