Criteria for Keeping or Dropping a Landline
With smartphone household penetration over 90%, landline ownership keeps declining. According to MIC's communications usage survey, household landline ownership stood at about 50% in 2025 - half of the 90%+ rate from 20 years ago. There's no universal answer; build your own based on clear criteria. Comparing simple landline phones also helps device-side decisions.
Reasons to Keep a Landline
1. Reliable line
Landlines don't depend on cellular signals; analog lines (NTT subscriber) work during outages. Even post-PSTN Hikari Denwa can withstand outages with a UPS. They're a strong family safety-check channel during disasters.
2. Trust signaling
For dealings with businesses, partners, and government, having a landline number helps you be seen as "a real operator." As covered in choosing a business phone number, especially for B2B, real estate, and financial relationships, landline presence matters.
3. Peace of mind for elderly households
For households with elderly members, a landline provides reassurance. Generations less comfortable with smartphones can use landlines reliably, and combining with voicemail, Caller ID, and security-feature phones supports scam defense.
4. Industries that still use fax
Legal, medical, and construction industries still use fax. If fax is required for business, a landline is hard to avoid.
Reasons to Drop a Landline
1. Reducing fixed monthly costs
NTT subscriber lines run 1,870 yen monthly; Hikari Denwa from 550 yen. Annual savings of 6,600-22,440 yen are possible. With smartphones in parallel, the landline cost is pure savings.
2. Less nuisance calls
Sales and scam calls concentrate on landlines. Cancellation removes that exposure entirely. See also pros and cons of canceling a landline.
3. Reclaimed space
Phone, fax, modem, and wiring footprint disappears, freeing living space.
Recommendations by Household Type
Single-person households (20s-40s)
A smartphone alone usually suffices. Trust-signal benefits matter little for younger users. Exception: SOHO/self-employed using landlines for business.
Households with children
Keeping a landline as a "shared family phone" gives kids an emergency channel and a number for school/cram school contact. Hikari Denwa at 550 yen monthly keeps the burden light.
Living with or near elderly family
Keeping a landline is safer when elderly relatives are involved. Caller ID, voicemail, and recording-feature phones serve as scam defenses. Combining with senior security phones adds further protection.
Sole proprietors and SOHO
Business-card credibility favors having a landline. Hikari Denwa or cloud PBX can deliver a landline number for 550-3,000 yen monthly.
Considerations by Region
Urban areas
Stable cellular coverage reduces landline necessity. Disaster risks can be covered by public infrastructure (pay phones, shelter phones).
Suburban and rural areas
Where cellular signals are weak, landline importance rises. In mountainous and remote-island areas, cellular dead zones make landlines effectively essential infrastructure.
Apartments
If fiber is installed in the building, Hikari Denwa runs cheaply. Apartment-tier plans start in the 330-yen range, lowering the barrier to landline ownership.
Cost Optimization When Keeping Both
If keeping both, optimize costs as follows:
- Switch to Hikari Denwa: NTT 1,870 yen → Hikari from 550 yen for 1,000+ yen monthly savings
- Review unlimited plans: Absorb long-distance on the landline; downgrade mobile to "5-minute unlimited"
- Family discounts: Bundling landline + mobile saves several hundred yen monthly
- Drop fax: If non-essential, cancel fax and use email/PDF instead
Best combinations vary by family composition and usage patterns. An annual review habit minimizes wasted cost. Combine with call cost-saving tips for greater impact.