MetroPCS Offers GroupLINE to Families Seeking All Wireless

Wireless companies just love it when we cancel our landlines and go strictly to wireless communications. While this has been a significant trend, especially among the younger generation, not all landline customers have gotten on board – even if most of their communications are done while on the go.

AP technology writer, Peter Svensson recently reported in Yahoo! Tech News that regional wireless carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. has designed a new feature to lure families into the concept of getting rid of their landlines.

To overcome the objection of being able to reach everyone in the household effectively, MetroPCS proposes a feature that gives families one number that rings all their cell phones at once.

The “GroupLINE” number ensures all members of the family have access to all calls that come in on the common number. And, those family members that pick up a call to this line are all placed into a conference – much like a conference call. When one family member picks up the call, the phones of the others will keep ringing a few times to give them a chance to join – if they so desire.

According to Roger Linquist, MetroPCS’s chief executive, users will be able to call the number in order to get a quick conference in with the rest of the family. While it may seem complicated, Linquist highlights that the feature is designed specifically to try to remove the customer objections to going wireless.

Linquist also noted that customers who plan to cancel landline service do have the option in most cases to take that number and have it assigned as their GroupLINE number. One question that appears to still be in the air is how long before the family gets annoyed by the GroupLINE and ignores the calls?

MetroPCS is not the first or only company experimenting with the notion of moving more customers away from landlines. Most wireless carriers are currently experimenting with different ways of replacing landlines.

Sprint (News - Alert) Nextel Corp., AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless have or plan to have "femtocells," which are small devices that improve cellular coverage within a home. Verizon Wireless is currently marketing a Hub, a touch screen home phone that works over broadband lines. To help a home phone become connected, T-Mobile (News - Alert) USA sells an Internet router.

While the trend to replace the landline with a strictly wireless system is still on the move – and no end appears in sight – there are still holdouts in the marketplace. And, as technology continues to advance, these companies are more likely to overcome objections, but it will take time and education to get the job done.