Category Archives: landline phone services

AT&T, Home Phone, landline phone services

AT&T Expands Coverage of GigaPower by Beginning Deployment in Louisville, Kentucky

Leave a comment

AT&T

 

AT&T leaps another step forward in its gigabit services by initiating deployment of GigaPower in Louisville, Kentucky. Local news sources reported that AT&T confirmed installation of fibers by its technicians in the neighboring areas.

AT&T seems to be going toe-to-toe with the giant network and search engine Google Fiber, which is also planning to bring its 1 Gbps service to Louisville very soon. AT&T is moving in a pattern it established in other cities, starting from Austin, Texas and recently in California around the San Francisco metro area.

At present, the carrier’s technicians are concentrating on passing homes, rolling out fiber via pole attachments, or underground, reports WDRB. With AT&T GigaPower, users are able to experience considerably faster internet speeds over a 100% fiber optic network and play games online without any lag time for buffering. Additionally, customers can enjoy entertainment on any screen with AT&T and DIRECTV, with much faster internet speeds than ever.

As per the previous announcement made by the company, AT&T disclosed its intention to take GigaPower to Louisville back in March, after Google Fiber announced Louisville as its choice to be the next fiber recipient. But the move triggered a row over pole access. An ordinance was passed in favor of Google Fiber, approving attachment of its fiber optic cable to utility poles. As expected, AT&T reacted to the approval and filed suit against the city. As per the carrier, the city does not hold any authority to give approval to attachments to poles that are owned by the AT&T.

Hood Harris, AT&T’s Kentucky President shared with WDRB that the move is to meet consumer requirements for faster internet services.

The US carrier is planning to sail 1 Gbps services to a minimum of 56 metros in the nation this year. In this league, AT&T moves on to add GigaPower cities to its list while the Louisville project will advance in phases.

AT&T, Home Phone, landline, landline phone services

AT&T Pushing Bill to Discontinue Traditional Landline Service

Leave a comment

No doubt the present age is the era of cellphones, but lovers of traditional landline phones are not yet extinct. A number of people are using traditional landlines for homes and businesses in California. But state lawmakers are going to pull plug on these old telephone services.

AT&T

“It is my connection to the world,” said Ruthanne Shpinner for whom her landline is her lifeline. But, in the near future, she might lose it.
A bill is being pushed by Shpinner’s phone company, AT&T, to let phone companies in California put an end to traditional landline service.
Customers could keep landlines if they want, but they may use alternate technologies such as voice over internet protocol, or VOIP, says AT&T.
Bill sponsor and San Jose Assemblyman Evan Low put forward that the old copper wires and switching stations used to route land line calls are quite exorbitant in terms of maintenance for a diminishing number of customers. He is of the view that money would rather be spent investing in new telecommunications technology.
“The plain old telephone system known as pots is rapidly approaching irrelevance,” said Low. “We’re modernizing with the times. We liken this from going to analog to digital.”
Mark Toney of the Utility Reform Network is of the view that the change would cause many to lose a trustworthy service in times of emergencies.
“We think it would be an absolute catastrophe. Our first concern is public safety,” said Toney. “The old landline telephone service will operate two weeks without electricity.” He is of the opinion that the substitutes such as cell services or VOIP are not so reliable in times of emergency.
But Ken McNeeley of AT&T holds a different opinion. As per him “The best phone in case of emergency is the phone you have in your hand”
There are state regulators who are against the bill, citing public safety and reliability. Some opponents believe that the real purpose is money.
As per records, AT&T has invested above $750,000 in lobbying at the capitol on a series of recent bills, including Lows AB 2395.
Among all this, the real challenge still remains in convincing people to stop using the traditional landline.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Shpinner.

landline phone services, Landlines, Telecom, Verzion

Verizon Trademark “One Talk” Hints Mobile, Landline Combination

Leave a comment

Verizon, a leading network carrier in the US, filed a trademark application for a “One Talk” service which hints at a potential move from the carrier to integrate fixed and mobile services. The network’s trademark application states- “Telecommunications services, namely, providing telephone services; and providing a unified system of integrated fixed and mobile voice services where landline and mobile communications devices can take the same calls, use the same telephone numbers and share the same calling features such as voice and text messaging.”

verizone network

Verizon’s trademark application, reported by Phandroid, indicates the network’s plan to offer a service that would allow its landline and mobile customers to seamlessly shift their conversations to and from the company’s wireless and wireline calling services. The Phandroid report states- “We imagine the company will require a special home phone to take full advantage of the feature, though it’s possible the call mirroring options could be made available no matter which phone you use. Although many people have moved to mobile phones for their primary communication needs, there’s still a big crowd of folks who subscribe to home phone service, else availability of those services wouldn’t be as plentiful as they are today. For those people, using your phone while you’re at home doesn’t need to be a watered down, ancient experience — make it just as smart and convenient as if you were using a smartphone, and we’re happy.”
And, Phandroid also said that such services are already hitting the market. Last year, AT&T detailed its “NumberSync” technology that is designed to allow customers to share their primary phone number with other connected devices such as smartwatches, even if their phone isn’t connected to a cellular network.
Also, in March, Google announced its Fiber Phone service, which builds on the Google Fiber Internet and TV service to create a triple-play service offering. Shiver-Blake said “Your Fiber Phone number lives in the cloud, which means that you can use it on almost any phone, tablet or laptop.” He further added, “It can ring your landline when you’re home, or your mobile device when you’re on-the-go.”

Android Based Landline

The Era of Smart Landlines Is Here

Leave a comment

new era of landline

The era has finally arrived when landlines too are catching pace with the demanding challenges in the world of telecom. It’s no longer a piece of news that American households who preferred landlines to the new age cellphones have gradually begun to change their minds. They are now increasingly considering switching to the newer versions of our traditional home phones. These new phones are, in a way, adaptations of smartphones that are ruling the world today with their kitty of unique features. Some households are even combining their home phone and mobile phone into a single smart device.

Many of us are aware of the Android-powered home phone which was released by Panasonic about a year and a half back. With such a breakthrough in the way landlines were used and perceived, this amazing transition from the old to the new swept the masses off their feet. The new android based landline phone has many of the features of a smart mobile phone such as internet connection, vivid applications and so forth. It also gives the user the choice of calling from either a mobile or landline device. When the user is away from home, they can use the device as a mobile 3G/GSM device and on returning home, they have the option of using either the mobile or the landline system to make calls. This smart home phone also displays any calls or messages the user might have missed while they were away. Following the same route, various other companies have released their own editions of smart landline phones owing to the popularity this concept has gained.

Landlines have been at the helm of electronic communication for many years. However, with the advent of cell phones, people began mobilizing to the wireless medium of communication – breaking it off with landline technology. Why, then, are phone manufacturers continuing to make new and innovative developments in home phone technology? That is because the smart landline phone offers very useful features. When you’re at home with your Android home phone, you can make a choice between the most affordable means of making a call—landline or mobile—without having to handle a separate device for your choice. The smart landline phone is also more portable, which prevents the chaotic search for the phone around the house when it starts buzzing.

Thanks to the latest technology offered by the telecom world, that old school landline is no longer viewed as an obsolete device with needless cords and wires. These new smart home phones are giving the technology a dramatic boost in popularity. Whether the renewed version of the landline will be able to change the minds of people and claim its place back into their homes is something we will have to wait and see. But this fresh and unique technological progress has certainly been very well received.

Advantages of Landline Phones, landline phone services

The Unparalleled Features of Landline Phones

Leave a comment

 Landline Phones

Wireless phones offer you convenience, letting you talk from virtually any location. However, landline phones still provide some advantages compared to wireless phones which should make you hesitate if you are considering discarding them. What many people do not realize is that mobile phones can’t provide all the advantages of landline phones and therefore, a combination of landline and wireless phone use may be the right decision for you to make.

We all have been using landlines phones for years for all the obvious reasons. We know that they are tried and tested. While there are many aspects of a landline phone to keep you holding on to it, a few of them simply remain unparalleled even in today’s times.

  1. Strong Reliability: Many of us have faced the problem of an important call getting dropped, mid-sentence, due to a poor cellphone signal. Many a times, we face the embarrassment of not being able to respond to a business communication or the failure to address a family problem on a call. Whatever it is, home phones do not leave you in the lurch that way because they do not run on a wireless connection. The clarity on a landline phone is unbeatable and connectivity, unquestionable.
  1. Local Tracking and Help: If an emergency call is made from a home phone, the 911 dispatch centers can find the exact address from where the landline call originated. The problem seems small at the surface but is actually not. In emergencies where someone needs assistance because they are having a heart attack in their apartment, even if the dispatch center nails their cellphone’s location, it won’t make out which floor the patient was calling from.
  1. Functional without Charging: In the case where you miss putting your phone on a charger, it might not be able to make a call the next time you pick it up. The device could ditch you right when you need it the most. Many of us forget to plug in our devices during our busy routines. In such times, we are grateful for our landline phones that always are ready.

So, if you’re thinking of going without a landline phone, remember that you might miss it from time to time. Working solely on a mobile connection might help you with a bit of cost saving, but could also cost you your safety, work efficiency and network coverage.

landline phone services

Five Reasons Why You shouldn’t Unplug Your Landline

Leave a comment

Landline phones

There are many reasons why people buy cell phones. Some do it for the benefits and others, merely because everyone else is buying them. And if you end up buying an iPhone, you might automatically start looking at your landline a little more critically to see if you can get rid of it so you can save some money to make up for that bundle you just spent on your new cell phone. But before you proceed with cutting the cord, ask yourself a few questions to be sure your decision to eliminate the landline is the right one. Here are five reasons (but not the only five!) to help you decide. See if you agree.

  • Need 911? HELP finds you!

During an emergency, 911 is able to track you when you call from a landline because your residential address automatically displays on the screen of the 911 operator, which isn’t the case with cellphones. If you have kids at home, your landline will be of great help as it is the most reliable connection to 911. Cell phones are good with their GPS facility while on road but they still cannot compete with the accuracy and dependability of a landline connection to the 911 office.

  • Clear Communication Counts!

A landline will provide a crisp, crystal clear connection on every call whereas with a cellphone, you will inevitably experience dropped calls, interference or buzzing, and confusing situations where you are wondering if the other person can you hear you. In this fast paced world, a clear crisp communication network is important for which a landline works best.

  • It Works Even When the Power goes Out

When the power goes out, a landline phone connection will still work in most cases. As long as you’re not using a cordless phone, an old fashioned telephone will work without electricity in your house. It’s required by the FCC so that you can still reach 911 and friends and family. Even if a major storm (tornado or hurricane) comes through the area, it might take away the cell connectivity, but its less likely that it will break the underground phone lines.

  • Privacy

Did you know that some cellular phones use radio frequencies which can be easily intercepted? Eavesdroppers can easily use even the simplest devices or software to intercept the analog radio waves that carry wireless calls. After breaking into your private conversations, they can take down your credit card information while you’re making a purchase over the phone, or find out when you’ll be on vacation to plan their evil deeds. With a landline, however, you always enjoy a certain amount of privacy and safety.

  • Home protection

Nowadays, many home security systems only work if a landline phone is in operation. And that is precisely because the home’s fire and burglar alarm systems are hardwired into the phone system to automatically alert authorities. Some new alarms my offer a cellular connection but that is at an added price and less reliability.

If the security systems and 911 prefer landlines, why shouldn’t you? Use your mobile phone but remember, landlines will always remain your safest bet!