cord cuttersIowa State, the Ames, Iowa based university with 26,000 students, has decided to remove all landlines from student dorms next year. Iowa State will use the funds saved by removing landline service to deploy dorm wide Wi-Fi networks. Students can still request a landline for a one-time fee of $35 and $15/month.

The all wireless trend for college dorms is growing, and quickly. The University of Kentucky dropped landline service in 2008. Campus Technology reports the “… school could save $140,000 annually by reallocating the landline resources, and by providing 802.11 wireless service for students.”

Moves like this kind of state the obvious. Generally speaking, the college student demographic doesn’t even understand the concept of a landline phone. It illustrates that wireless as the primary means of communication is moving from a personal choice to an institutional and societal norm.

Iowa State, the Ames, Iowa based university with 26,000 students has decided to remove all landlines from student dorms next year. Iowa State will use the funds saved by removing landline service to deploy dorm wide Wi-Fi networks. Students can still request a landline for a one-time fee of $35 and $15/month.

The all wireless trend for college dorms is growing, and quickly. The University of Kentucky dropped landline service in 2008. Campus Technology reports the “… school could save $140,000 annually by reallocating the landline resources, and by providing 802.11 wireless service for students.”

Moves like this kind of state the obvious. Generally speaking, the college student demographic doesn’t even understand the concept of a landline phone. It illustrates that wireless as the primary means of communication is moving from a personal choice to an institutional and societal norm.

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3 thoughts on “Iowa State Pulls Plug on Landlines

  1. Here at the Colorado School of Mines, wireless has been in all of the dorms for awhile, though folks prefer the Ethernet connections (they're 10/100 and wireless is 11g).

    Still have phone service though. That said, the service is local-only, and clubs now have to pay ~$18 per month for phones.

  2. Here at the Colorado School of Mines, wireless has been in all of the dorms for awhile, though folks prefer the Ethernet connections (they’re 10/100 and wireless is 11g).

    Still have phone service though. That said, the service is local-only, and clubs now have to pay ~$18 per month for phones.

  3. I understand why schools are doing this with traditional TDM. I guess I don't understand why they don't offer an IP voice service to the dorms, considering they have pretty robust data networks. I just fear a bad "limited access" to 911 issue happening when they rely solely on wireless in the dorms.

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