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Yes, you read the headline right. Roughly a third of the U.S. population has completely ditched their landline in favor of a cell phone only lifestyle. I count myself among them. In fact, many 20-somethings fall into this new category. We’ve become so used to using our cell phones that having a second line that no one calls seems a bit pointless. And you know what? With the unlimited plans hitting the major carriers, people now have more of an incentive to ditch the landline. The $99 per month fee might seem steep, but consider that you’re also cutting out the landline bill. After all, why pay for two phones when one gives you unlimited calling?

The opening anecdote from this Newsday story puts this into perspective. It talks about a 39-year-old who was fed up with having to pay an installation fee for his landline every time he moved. So when he made his latest migration, he said: “Forget it. I’m just going to keep my cell phone.”

He’s not alone, clearly. The Yankee Group projects that by 2011, landlines will decrease from 93.8 million to 78.8 million. Many of these numbers, they cite, will be people disconnecting secondary phone lines, used for fax machines and dial-up Internet. However, that number could fall even further in the face of these unlimited cellular plans.

Over the same period, the number of cell phone accounts projects to ruse to 214.5 million from 188.7 million today. This is accounts, of course — of which some people have many — and not cell phone users. We could also see that number rise:

Still others say poor cell-phone reception in their homes makes cutting the cord unfeasible. Nearly 14 percent of U.S. adults in a Yankee Group survey last year said they were waiting for cell-phone technology to improve before cutting the cord.

We’re definitely going to see improvements in cell phone reception during that time. Yes, the big telecoms are clinging on to their landline service, but soon enough they’re going to realize that if they improve cell phone reception in areas currently not covered, they stand to gain money from them, too.

I ask this at the end of every article that talks about cell phone only, but are you? When did you cut the cord?

[Newsday]

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