It’s the end of an era.
AT&T announced its plans to eliminate its traditional landline phone service across nearly all U.S. states, including Florida, in its service area by 2029.
The telecommunications company currently operates a landline in 21 states and this decision will impact all states except California, according to reporting from USA TODAY. Officials have stated it will work with customers through this transition, adding customers will not lose voice or 911 service.
“We’ve been working at the state and federal level to update the regulatory frameworks,” an AT&T spokesperson told USA TODAY. “While the work has been underway with the states, we’ve also been working with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).”
Here’s how this upcoming change will impact customers in Florida.
Why is AT&T eliminating its landlines?
According to USA TODAY reporting, the AT&T copper wire network is 70 years old and has become increasingly unreliable.
Susan Johnson, the company’s executive vice president of wireline transformation and supply chain, told the outlet the copper wire does not do well in water or during storms. The company is also “experiencing a lot of copper theft” with copper value on the rise.
The network is expensive to maintain and uses a lot of electricity and energy, with Johnson adding it is not good for the environment to expend resources on a technology that only 5% of residential customers and 5% of commercial customers use.
When will AT&T eliminate landlines?
AT&T is aiming to eliminate landlines by 2029, the company said.
The company is allotting 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,” Johnson said.
How common are landlines in Florida? Less than 7%
An operational landline telephone on a desk at Still Bend Thursday, November 29, 2018, in Two Rivers, Wis.
According to a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, only 2.2% of Florida consumers surveyed solely use a landline. The survey also says that 6.1% of consumers use a landline and a cell phone.
More than three-quarters of Americans live in homes without landlines: 76% of adults and 87% of children, as of the end of 2023, according to the agency’s most recent report.
Will other telecommunications follow AT&T in eliminating landlines?
As of December 2024, other telecommunications companies have not announced similar plans; however, Regina Costa, telecommunications policy director for The Utility Reform Network (TURN), said it’s coming.
“AT&T is one of the two largest telephone companies in the United States and they are about to launch a full-court press to get support for this,” Costa said to USA TODAY.
She anticipates other telecommunications providers who still provide copper wire services to follow suit.
Don’t want to give up your landline? Here’s what Florida AT&T landline users can do
For customers who don’t want or need a broadband connection, Johnson said AT&T has a new product named “AT&T Phone – Advanced” which is a landline alternative. It can be used with an existing landline phone, plugs into a jack, and connects to AT&T’s wireless network.
The phone costs $45 a month, she said.
Floridians can also switch over to another mobile carrier. Vonage, Spectrum, Verizon, and Community Phone all still offer home phone services, though be sure to check their websites to see if coverage is available in your area.
Contributing: Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: AT&T to eliminate landline services by 2029. What Florida should know