Why Are Fixed Phones Still Popular in Developed Countries? Have We Progressed?

In today's world where smartphones are ubiquitous, landlines have long been replaced by societal advancement. Many children born after 2010 might not even be aware of what a landline is, and now, when someone mentions making a phone call, their immediate reaction is undoubtedly a smartphone.

Today, landline phones are a must-have household appliance in every home across our country. In the 20th century in China, there was a popular saying, "Between floors, a light bulb phone." These eight words reflect the people's yearning for a happy life back then in our country. Owning a light bulb and a phone at that time was considered a sign of being from a distinguished family.

How difficult was it to install a landline phone back then? In 1992, a typical family in Dezhou, Shandong Province had to pay a 2,200 yuan installation fee to get a landline. At the time, the average monthly salary of the common people was around 150 yuan, which meant installing a phone would consume nearly a year's worth of the family's income.

Nevertheless, there's a rush to get a phone line installed, with payments made and numbers secured, illustrating the popularity of landlines. However, as we moved into the new millennium, the rise of mobile phones gradually eroded the influence of landlines. Today, in the age of smartphones, landlines have seemingly disappeared from our daily lives, no longer in sight.

But, those who have visited some Western developed countries may notice an odd phenomenon. It is that landlines are still quite common abroad, and even today, fixed-line telephones can be seen in most households overseas. Why, after being replaced in China for many years, are fixed-line telephones still prevalent in developed countries? Is it that they have developed, or have they stagnated?

In fact, this has little to do with technological innovation. Developed countries, just like ours, are seeing smartphones take off. However, they are still reluctant to let go of landline phones, primarily due to the heightened sensitivity towards personal privacy in developed nations.

Everyone knows that smartphones cannot compare to landline phones in terms of security. Currently, many diplomatic relations in our country still use landline phones, which demonstrates the significant level of privacy they offer. Moreover, with smartphones' built-in GPS tracking, not only are voice calls at risk, but location information can also be exposed. Therefore, even in many Western and European countries where smartphones are widely used, landline phones are still the preferred choice for sensitive matters. This is also related to the stability of these developed countries' telecommunications systems. In China, although telephones were present as early as the Qing Dynasty, for a long time, their普及 rate across the country was low, with only major cities benefiting from widespread availability. Even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, telephones remained a rarity in many rural and urban areas.

Developed countries have had widespread telephone adoption for decades, with the public relying on fixed-line phones that are highly sophisticated. Moreover, many cities have long been dominated by machinery and equipment, making it a costly endeavor to completely eliminate them. Add to that the general laziness of the population in developed countries, along with a lackadaisical attitude from relevant departments, and this is why fixed-line phones have been preserved. Looking back at our country, the普及 of fixed-line phones was still a 1990s phenomenon. As soon as it was introduced, we quickly transitioned into the mobile phone era. Fixed-line phones have a shallow root in our country, making it a breeze to be completely replaced.

Overall, the replacement of landlines is irrelevant to intelligent technology; it's merely a habitual challenge. However, the decline of landlines is an inevitable historical trend, and China is just a step ahead in this regard. In the not too distant future, if one wishes to reminisce about the appearance of landlines, perhaps only a visit to a historical museum will suffice.

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