Obviously, AT&T and Verizon's landline customers do not get all of the features available to smartphone users, including the ability to carry their phones around wherever they go. POTS service is as basic as phone service gets.
Many older AT&T and Verizon customers prefer to keep their landline service because it is easier for them to use. For the carriers, the older copper networks are harder for them to maintain.
This is when and where AT&T will start disconnecting copper lines in certain areas of Texas
Starting on November 15, AT&T will start disconnecting its copper lines in major metro areas in Texas. Areas impacted include Dallas and rural areas such as East Texas and the Brazos Valley.
The following day, November 16, Verizon will begin shutting down landline services in Dallas-Fort Worth, Irving, Carrollton, Grapevine, Keller, Ballinger, and Bonham. Landline service will also be discontinued in an unincorporated community ironically named Telephone.
The FCC allows AT&T and Verizon to disconnect their copper-powered phone services in areas of Texas where an approved alternative is available such as fiber or wireless service. In addition, the carrier must inform customers by sending them a notice at least 90 days in advance.
The letter must include the date when the copper network will be disconnected and include a list of approved alternatives. AT&T says that its copper infrastructure is aging, which makes it less reliable and more prone to outages.
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A push-button landline telephone. | Image by WBUR
Another concern is copper theft. The bottom line is that fiber and wireless connectivity are both more reliable than copper.
Only a small percentage of eligible AT&T customers continue to employ copper voice technology
Truthfully, this move is not going to impact many AT&T users across the country. As of last month, 1% of AT&T's eligible customers are still using copper voice technology. Both AT&T and Verizon are looking to deactivate copper wiring in all areas of the US where there are approved wireless and fiber alternatives.
Here's a list of states where AT&T has already begun the process of shutting down copper wire technology
For example, AT&T has started deactivating copper wiring in the following states:
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Wisconsin
AT&T's goal is to shut down the vast majority of its POTS by the end of 2029. Meanwhile, Verizon has received federal approval to deactivate copper landline service in 13 Southern and Midwestern states. It also filed requests to shut down copper networks in nine additional states: Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.
Other states mentioned in Verizon filings include California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Washington D.C. is also listed. Residential and business service supported by copper wiring in Massachusetts will be discontinued in areas where approved alternative service can be accessed.
Verizon will also offer its impacted subscribers a choice to pick fiber or wireless service. Customers who receive advance written notice will not be forced off their existing copper voice service until an FCC-approved replacement option is offered at their location.
AT&T is, as required under FCC regulations, sending letters and texts, and making phone calls to its customers who will lose POTS. Customers will have to choose between using wireless or fiber by a certain date.
By the way, if you're wondering why we don't mention T-Mobile in this article, it's because the carrier never offered its customers landline services that were supported by copper wire technology.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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