"Traditional land-line phones, once the bedrock of communications in the USA, are quickly going the way of eight-track tapes as consumers go wireless or choose Internet-based phone calling.
According to a report due to be released Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly one out of every six homes in the USA - 15.8% - had only wireless telephones during the second half of 2007, up from 6.1% during the same period in 2004.
"America has a lot of gabbers," says Sameer Mithal, a senior principal with IBB Consulting in Princeton, N.J. "The ability to talk on the go is what Americans like to do."
For big carriers such as AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ), America's love fest with wireless is having a dramatic impact on what was once a core business.
In New York, land lines have plummeted 55% since 2000, according to a new report by Sanford C. Bernstein. New Jersey isn't far behind, with a 50% drop-off.
States with the fewest land-line losses include Connecticut with 10%, Texas, 20%, and California, 21%.
Even so, it won't take long for the other 49 states to catch up to or surpass New York, predicts analyst Craig Moffett, author of the report. "This is a business that is not showing any signs of recovery," he says."
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