What number of landlines are in service in 2025?
It is true that landline utilization has been lowering in favor of VoIP and different applied sciences—however landline telephony is just not going away anytime quickly.
Here is the information on landline utilization and the speed at which it is being changed across the globe.
The Present State of Landline Utilization
The general public switched phone community (PSTN) reached its peak in 2006 when there was a world complete of 1.22 billion strains in service.
Since then, a median decline of 6% every year has set in. There was no respite in 2024, with the PSTN subscription complete dropping by 16% in 12 months to finish the 12 months at 407 million.
Of the 225 international locations and territories coated by TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, solely 17 had increased PSTN penetration charges on the finish of 2024 than they did again in 2005. Of the 208 others, 161 skilled double-digit share level reductions over that interval.
Trying forward, by 2031, the PSTN is forecast to shrink to fewer than 250 million strains in service globally, about one-fifth of its 2006 peak.
VoIP Passes PSTN
Whereas cell substitution has curtailed alternatives for development within the fastened voice market, an extra cause for the waning of PSTN voice telephony is the comparatively sturdy take-up in voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions.
The whole variety of IP-based voice subscriptions surpassed these related by way of the PSTN for the primary time in 2024, growing 9% year-over-year to roughly 447 million.
PSTN Fading Quick
VoIP Subscriptions Up 9% in 2024
Supply: TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database
TeleGeography forecasts that by end-2031, VoIP strains will outnumber PSTN strains by virtually 300 million. International VoIP family penetration will stand at 21% by that date, whereas solely 10% of households will nonetheless have PSTN phone connections.
France, Japan, Germany, and Portugal have been among the many international locations on the vanguard of VoIP take-up. Firstly of 2025, all 4 had VoIP penetration charges exceeding 75%, and every is predicted to succeed in a VoIP penetration fee of greater than 90% by the tip of 2031.
By that date, VoIP penetration will surpass PSTN penetration in 145 international locations and territories.
Total Strains Down 2%
Regardless of the expansion in VoIP, the mixed PSTN and VoIP subscriptions complete declined by 2% in 2024 to 854 million, and is forecast to drop by an annual common of 1.1% per 12 months between now and 2031.
Mounted voice penetration is declining throughout all areas, besides Africa, the place it is remained steady at round 9%-10% for a number of years. Particular person pockets of development stay; North African international locations, similar to Algeria and Egypt, each registered annual development of 6% in 2024, whereas different notable will increase have been seen in Gabon (up 23%) and Mali (up 15%).
Nonetheless, family penetration in Africa seems to have already peaked at simply 16% in 2008.
Downward Development
Penetration Dropping Nearly In every single place
Supply: TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database
Elsewhere on the planet, solely India, Egypt, and Mexico noticed their mixed PSTN+VoIP subscription bases develop by greater than 500,000 in 2024, with India’s complete growing by 23% to over 39 million. Development is being pushed by the take-up of bundled fastened broadband and glued voice companies.
However, the U.S., Russia, China, Brazil, the U.Okay., Japan, and Colombia every skilled declines of greater than 1 million fastened voice subscriptions within the 12 months main up to December 31, 2024.
The Transfer to All-IP
It is going to be a long time earlier than the PSTN disappears from all corners of the world, however the development towards VoIP is inexorable.
Within the U.S., for instance, in January 2025, AT&T confirmed plans to start the method of discontinuing legacy fastened voice companies in round 25% of its wire facilities. The telco now plans to close all copper-based companies nationwide (aside from California) by the tip of 2029.
The Federal Communications Fee (FCC) not requires U.S. telcos to offer copper landline companies.
Within the U.Okay., in the meantime, BT had plans to modify off remaining PSTN circuits by 2025, however later revised this to 2027.
Though cautious of cannibalizing an current income stream, telcos are rising more and more eager to dismantle the PSTN and embrace all-IP networks.
IP networks are cheaper to keep up, they permit a greater diversity of companies similar to IPTV, and infrastructure distributors are starting to discontinue assist for legacy gear.
Information on Cellular Markets, Mounted Broadband, and Extra
At TeleGeography, we are the telecom knowledge folks—the consultants from whom trade leaders get their knowledge. You may get extra evaluation like this (and the information behind it) with a subscription to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database.
