"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
Now this is interesting on the Beeb news web site. A bunch of graphs
showing gadget ownership. Phones, CD players and video recorders have
all peaked, and are on their way down. DVDs and mobiles are just about
plateau-ing. Internet related stuff is still climbing. For how long, I
wonder?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12058944

d

Any survey of this sort depends rather on what the question is, and how
it's
answered. For example, the decline in telephone availability is
pointless.If
almost everyone has access to a mobile 'phone, then the need for a fixed
telephone, which is I presume what the question asked, goes away.

I'm not sure I agree with that. A mobile phone is a personal phone, a
fixed-line phone belongs to a premises; though I grant that this
distinction is more relevant to businesses. Also of course a fixed-line
phone is much cheaper to use, and isn't going to fail because the
batteries have gone flat or there isn't a signal.

I was also surprised that the domestic penetration of phones in 1970 was
only 30%, bearing in mind that they had been available in all except the
most remote parts of the UK since the 1920s, and in central London since
1880.

David.

When I was a teenager growing up in Surrey, which even then (late 60s) was a
reasonably prosperous area, many of my school friends didn't have telephones
at home. If one extends to other less well-off areas, I'm not surprised at
the 30% figure overall.

As to fixed lines, my son doesn't have a fixed line at home, he and his
partner work entirely off mobile communications even for internet. These
days, with the right package, it works out pretty much at a fixed cost
regardless of usage, so they have never seen the point, as they will need to
have mobiles as well as a fixed line, so why bother with the fixed.

S.

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
Now this is interesting on the Beeb news web site. A bunch of graphs
showing gadget ownership. Phones, CD players and video recorders have
all peaked, and are on their way down. DVDs and mobiles are just about
plateau-ing. Internet related stuff is still climbing. For how long, I
wonder?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12058944

d

Any survey of this sort depends rather on what the question is, and how
it's
answered. For example, the decline in telephone availability is
pointless.If
almost everyone has access to a mobile 'phone, then the need for a fixed
telephone, which is I presume what the question asked, goes away.

I'm not sure I agree with that. A mobile phone is a personal phone, a
fixed-line phone belongs to a premises; though I grant that this
distinction is more relevant to businesses. Also of course a fixed-line
phone is much cheaper to use, and isn't going to fail because the
batteries have gone flat or there isn't a signal.

I was also surprised that the domestic penetration of phones in 1970 was
only 30%, bearing in mind that they had been available in all except the
most remote parts of the UK since the 1920s, and in central London since
1880.

David.

When I was a teenager growing up in Surrey, which even then (late 60s) was
a reasonably prosperous area, many of my school friends didn't have
telephones at home. If one extends to other less well-off areas, I'm not
surprised at the 30% figure overall.

At the same time (or possibly a few years earlier) I was growing up in an
only moderately prosperous area of Middlesex, and I was not aware of any of
my school friends not having a telephone at home. Though I wasn't basing my
surprise on personal reminiscences, but on the fact that the telephone had
been available for 90 years, it seems a very slow uptake.

As to fixed lines, my son doesn't have a fixed line at home, he and his
partner work entirely off mobile communications even for internet. These
days, with the right package, it works out pretty much at a fixed cost
regardless of usage, so they have never seen the point, as they will need
to have mobiles as well as a fixed line, so why bother with the fixed.

I accept that there are those who take the view that your son does, but your
phrase "then the need for a fixed telephone.... goes away" implied that the
need has gone away entirely, which I disagree with.

I was talking about phones, but in terms of lines high-speed broadband still
requires a physical connection, either wire or fibre. And unless somebody
can discover a whole new radio spectrum it's likely to stay that way.

David.

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
Now this is interesting on the Beeb news web site. A bunch of graphs
showing gadget ownership. Phones, CD players and video recorders have
all peaked, and are on their way down. DVDs and mobiles are just about
plateau-ing. Internet related stuff is still climbing. For how long, I
wonder?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12058944

d

Any survey of this sort depends rather on what the question is, and how
it's
answered. For example, the decline in telephone availability is
pointless.If
almost everyone has access to a mobile 'phone, then the need for a fixed
telephone, which is I presume what the question asked, goes away.

I'm not sure I agree with that. A mobile phone is a personal phone, a
fixed-line phone belongs to a premises; though I grant that this
distinction is more relevant to businesses. Also of course a fixed-line
phone is much cheaper to use, and isn't going to fail because the
batteries have gone flat or there isn't a signal.

I was also surprised that the domestic penetration of phones in 1970 was
only 30%, bearing in mind that they had been available in all except the
most remote parts of the UK since the 1920s, and in central London since
1880.

David.

When I was a teenager growing up in Surrey, which even then (late 60s) was
a reasonably prosperous area, many of my school friends didn't have
telephones at home. If one extends to other less well-off areas, I'm not
surprised at the 30% figure overall.


I remember in 1968 or '69 an American girl landed in the UK to accept a
friend of mine's invitation to stay (they had been on the same kibbutz in
Israel) and she was astounded to find that he didn't have a phone when she
tried to contact him!

"Keith G" wrote in message

I remember in 1968 or '69 an American girl landed in the
UK to accept a friend of mine's invitation to stay (they
had been on the same kibbutz in Israel) and she was
astounded to find that he didn't have a phone when she
tried to contact him!

Telephones are another modern convenience that were at or near the 90%
penetration level in the US since the 1950s. Automobiles are another modern
convenience that have enjoyed far greater market penetration in the US. I
believe that we've had more automobiles than people since no later than the
1970s.