In a sign of changing times, AT&T, the nation’s largest wireless provider, will be switching from traditional landlines in favor of a more modern option.

Customers have received letters explaining the utility will be pulling the plug on landlines in March of 2027 across Illinois. AT&T previously announced its intention to eliminate copper-based phone services across all of its service areas in the United States by 2029.

The phasing-out process will take multiple years, a spokesperson said, and no customers will be left without access to voice or 911 service.

While the company claims customer interest has dipped in recent years, others maintain there’s still a need for traditional landlines.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming chance, what opponents say and how the replacement option will work.

What is happening and why?

The utility is phasing out landline use and upgrading its copper-based service to “newer, less expensive options ” including fiber optic networks.

According to AT&T, orders for traditional landline voice services have decreased 96% since 2014 and less than 2% of eligible customers are still using the legacy landline technology.

Citizens Utility Board response

The Citizens Utility Board, which opposes the shift, said the organization is of the belief that “there are still a significant number of people–many of them AT&T’s longest-standing and most loyal customers–who could benefit from the reliability and affordability of traditional phone service.”

“Traditional landline service was once the most reliable and affordable option for many customers who just wanted no-frills phone service,” Communications Director Jim Chilsen said. “It is sad and frustrating how AT&T in recent years has increased the price of traditional landline service, pushing many customers to more expensive and less reliable options–and now the phone giant is ending the service altogether.”

What is replacing traditional landlines? How does it work?

A digital home phone service that operates similar to a traditional landline – AT&T Phone — Advanced, also called AP-A, is offered at a comparable or sometimes lower cost, a company spokesperson said.

Customers who make the switch can keep their existing number and can even use their current hone, according to AT&T. It also works with a number of other technologies, including fax machines, alarms, elevators and medical monitoring devices.

Unlike the traditional landlines, AP-A uses AT&T’s wireless network and allows customers to stay connected during an outage by tapping into broadband connection as a backup, the utility explained.