October 11, 2020, 6:30 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Fewer households now have landline phones. Smartphones have often taken their place as universal communication platforms. However, landline telephony is experiencing a revival in home offices.
The telephone habits of Germans have changed significantly in recent years. Recently, landline call minutes dropped from 193 billion minutes in 2010 to 94 billion minutes in 2019. Meanwhile, smartphone call volume has slightly increased, according to the Federal Network Agency.
But the good old landline connection is far from obsolete. “Especially in many business sectors and offices, it’s indispensable for reliable accessibility,” says Arne Düsterhöft from the consumer portal “Finanztip.de.” The reliability of the connections is a reason not to forgo them in private households either.
“Even though voice quality in mobile networks has steadily improved in recent years, reception in rural areas still leaves much to be desired. If the nearest cell tower is too far away or the apartment is too convoluted, we only hear the person on the other end in a choppy manner,” Düsterhöft says.
Landline Telephony Is Usually Included in the Package
The reasons for giving up landline phones may be varied, but they are certainly not financial. “You can hardly avoid it, as such a connection is still part of almost all internet packages,” says Markus Weidner from the telecommunications portal “Teltarif.de.” In the end, the phone connection generates no or very minimal additional costs.
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A good reason for having a landline number is the accessibility during potential disruptions. “If there are problems with the mobile phone or a network outage, the landline is still a way to stay reachable or to call the mobile provider,” Weidner says.
Traditional phone connections based on analog or ISDN are almost extinct, according to the Federal Network Agency. In 2015, there were still 16.2 million, but by 2019, there were only 0.7 million. The reason is a transition that virtually all providers have made. They now implement phone connections via the internet, making them more flexible—such as through the router and any connected phones, special internet phones, or even remotely with a smartphone.
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DECT Phones Are Popular
As home phone devices, mobile handsets that connect to their base via the DECT standard are particularly in demand. “DECT phones have proven themselves for years; modern devices are usually low-radiation and designed so that you can also call each other if multiple handsets are connected,” explains Wolfgang Pauler from the “Chip” magazine.
Often, you can do without your own DECT base: “You can usually save on large hardware packages, as many router manufacturers have already integrated the DECT base station into the router housing, so only the handsets need to be registered,” Pauler explains.
Many router manufacturers even offer apps that turn the smartphone into a landline handset. In this case, the smartphone connects to the router not via DECT but via Wi-Fi. This solution is particularly interesting for those who do not have a router with an integrated DECT base station.
Few Quality Differences Between Landline and Mobile
Costs for phone calls are becoming less significant. Flat rates for domestic calls are now part of many landline tariffs for internet and phone. Those who frequently call abroad, especially outside the EU, can potentially save money with call-by-call prefix numbers, says Weidner. Call-by-call is only possible with Telekom connections.
Regarding call quality, mobile providers have now caught up with landlines. “Providers like Telekom or Vodafone enable mobile calls with the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec, which covers a significantly larger frequency range.
“Calls with this technology are crystal clear, as if the person is standing next to you,” says Weidner. However, the prerequisite is always that both participants are in the LTE network and use EVS-capable smartphones. DECT phones also achieve high voice quality with the HD Voice standard.