Are Landline Phones Going to Be Eliminated in Michigan?

If you're a Michigander who still finds having a landline necessary, your days may be numbered.

As phone providers continue to see a decline in the demand for home landlines, companies including AT&T and Verizon, will be actively phasing out their landline services in the future.

According to CNN, AT&T submitted a waiver request last week seeking permission to discontinue servicing traditional landlines in California. Both AT&T and Verizon have expressed their intention to transition to newer infrastructure and aim to be fully operational on these updated systems within the next few years.

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AT&T:

We’ve seen a precipitous decline in demand for telephone services provided over our copper networks. We are focused on enhancing our network with more advanced, higher-speed technologies like fiber and wireless, which consumers are demanding.

When Will Landline Phones Be Eliminated?

Obviously, this isn't something that's going to happen overnight but both AT&T and Verizon are pushing now to be fully operational on newer infrastructure in the next few years. It's really just the start of phasing out landlines in the U.S.

This doesn't mean that the customer's landline service will simply be turned off. Service providers must give customers options other than traditional landlines. They can achieve this by converting analog signals to digital using devices, including fiber optic cables or wireless technologies like LTE/5G.

Some experts believe that it will be decades before landlines are completely eliminated.

It sounds like those living in Michigan won't be affected for quite some time.