A home phone may add little for parents who happily take all their calls on cell phones. But a long-used household number and a handset they enjoy using can still be worth keeping. The decision starts with their calls and preferences, rather than an assumption about what people their age need.
Look at the calls they actually make
Karen is helping her parents, Peter and June, review their phone services in Mississauga. They use cell phones for photos, messages and outings, but June’s sister has called the home number for years. June still prefers picking up the handset for their long conversations. Before removing the service, Karen asks which number relatives use and which phone her parents reach for.
With iTalkBB Home Phone, they can apply to transfer their existing home number. Caller ID, voicemail and call forwarding support everyday use, while relatives can keep the familiar household contact.
What changes with an internet-based home phone
An Ethernet cable connects the home router to an iTalkBB phone adapter, and the handset plugs into the adapter. Calls use the home’s internet connection, so Karen checks the router location and a convenient place for the handset with her parents.
Use the home number while visiting family, too
Home Phone users can sign in to the iTalkBB Prime App with their home-phone account and use that same number on a smartphone over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Calling minutes are shared with the home-phone plan.
When June spends a few days at Karen’s house, she can use Prime over Wi-Fi to call her sister from the home number. Back at home, she can return to the handset she prefers.
If a household already makes every call comfortably on individual cell phones, mobile-only may be enough. Where the home number and handset still get used, it is worth comparing an internet-based home phone service with the arrangement already in place.
