As the world of wireless continues to grow, more and more Americans are abandoning their landlines.  For the first time ever, households with cell phones only have surpassed those that have landlines only.  According to WBBM780.com:

Twenty percent of households had only cells during the last half of 2008, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released Wednesday. That was an increase of nearly 3 percentage points over the first half of the year, the largest six-month increase since the government started gathering such data in 2003.

The 20 percent of homes with only cell phones compared with 17 percent with landlines but no cells.

People are cutting the cord right here in Illinois – 16.5% of households no longer have a landline according to a Nielson Co. study that was released in March (see ITP’s blog post).  Some experts say the economic downturn, along with added features that come with cell phones could be responsible for the shift.  From WBBM780.com:

“The end game is consumers are paying two bills for the same service,” said John Fletcher, an analyst for the market research firm SNL Kagan, referring to cell and landline phones. “Which are they going to choose? They’ll choose the one they can take with them in their car.”

Interestingly, 15 percent said they have both a landline and cell, but take few or no calls on their landlines – meaning combined with wireless only calls, 35 percent of households are reachable only by cell phones.  How long before landlines phones join the world of record players and VCRs?

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