AT&T to kill off landline phone service for most people by 2029

AT&T customers who still use the carrier’s landline service should be prepared to say goodbye sometime in the next five years.

At its 2024 Analysts and Investors Day on Wednesday, the company said that it’s “actively working to exit its legacy copper network operations across the large majority of its wireline footprint by the end of 2029.” Yep, that means its traditional landlines will largely be gone by that point, at least if the roadmap comes true.

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Like many carriers, AT&T has devoted more of its time, money, and resources to its broadband network and wireless services. AT&T in particular has focused on building out its fiber network, which it forecasts will expand to more than 50 million locations in the US by the end of 2029.

The problem with copper lines, argue the carriers, is that they’re old, vulnerable to power surges and other electrical issues, and subject to damage from weather and other conditions. Plus, companies like AT&T simply don’t want to support traditional landlines when so many people have switched to mobile or broadband services.

“Our legacy services are no longer meeting our customers’ needs for speed, for reliability, and for always-on connectivity,” Susan Johnson, executive vice president of wireline transformation and supply chain for AT&T, said during her presentation at the Analysts and Investors Day. “Customers are voting with their feet and moving off of the 70-year-old copper services. In fact, only 5% of our residential customers are still using copper-based technology.”

As broadband networks have grown and mobile devices have proliferated, the need for a landline has diminished for many people. My wife and I canceled our landline service about five years ago. I know several people who still have landlines; but they all have mobile phone service too, so cutting the copper cord shouldn’t be too onerous for them.

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That doesn’t mean landlines are going down without a fight.

First, there are certain legal obligations to consider. AT&T’s roadmap for 2029 even qualifies the exit from copper with a footnote that cites “pending regulatory and contractual obligations.” Second, consumer advocates argue that landlines are still needed by low-income and rural consumers who may not have access to broadband services. Third, some states are balking at the phase-out of traditional landlines.

Currently, AT&T provides landline service in 21 states, excluding some in the northeast and northwest, according to USA Today. Retiring those landlines would affect all those states except California. Regulators in the Golden State turned down a proposal from AT&T early this year to get rid of its “Carrier of Last Resort Obligation,” a factor that requires the company to maintain its copper network.

“We’ve been working at the state and federal level to update the regulatory frameworks,” an AT&T spokesperson told USA Today. “While the work has been underway with the states, we’ve also been working with the FCC.”

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Telecom providers must get permission from the FCC to cut off landline service for new or existing customers. That’s why AT&T has revealed its 2029 landline retirement plans so far in advance: To alert the FCC and to give customers and states enough time to transition to alternatives.

“We’ve announced it years ahead of time to make sure that we do that hand-holding with our customers,” Johnson said in an interview with USA Today. “This is a multi-year process to ensure that every single customer has voice and 911 and access to an alternative before we are able to discontinue the copper-based landline service.”