TeleGeography: Phone Line Decline Driven More by VoIP Than Mobile

Exponential growth in wireless and mobile telecommunications has created the perception that fixed-line telephony, and subscribership, is on the way out. The evidence isn’t as clear-cut as many may believe, however, according to market research from TeleGeography.

Data from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database reveals that while public-switched telephone network (PSTN) telephone lines have indeed been declining steadily, much of the fall has been the result of growth in fixed voice-over-IP (VoIP) services as opposed to mobile/wireless adoption. Overall, global fixed-line (PSTN and VoIP) voice subscriber numbers peaked at 1.29 billion in 2008. They have fallen at a compound annual rate of 1.3 percent since, evidence “of gradual long-term decline.”