It drives me up the wall when I come across fellow seniors who have a mobile phone but never turn it on as it is just for 'emergencies' because it is so expensive.

When you ask them how much their home phone bill is you can bet it is $35 a month or more. Then you explain to them that for less money they could get rid of their home phone (or get the free inContact service) and have unlimited mobile phone calls and the internet, all the services and convenience that the mobile services provide. Some are now changing over.

A number express the fear than in an emergency they think the fixed line is more reliable but then realise that their phone actually needs mains power to operate (not always true) but anyway fixed lines no longer use dedicated exchange equipment and are subject to similar over loading as the mobile network.

If it weren't for my ADSL Internet I would have ditched the fixed line years ago (roll on the NBN). All my calls are made from my mobile. None of my kids have a fixed line and rely entirely on their mobile phone and, like most seniors, rely on the mobile network for their internet connection too.

I would have thought the situation in the UK, where even local calls are timed, was even more conducive to having a mobile phone only. Have any of you ditched your fixed line entirely?

Bruce my BT landline is £11.75 a month (paid a year in advance) it provides my internet connection and that is another £5 a month plus calls to my service provider. I make about one call a week , you can't get much cheaper than that My landline calls are free in the evening and at weekends .

I would never get rid of my landline, it is a lifeline when the electricity goes off, a mobile isn't much use if you can't charge it up.

My electricity was off for 4 days one winter.