As more and more people around the world are hanging up their landlines for good, the Germans are actually using them more. Although this might seem like another hilarious example of the country’s outdated technology, it’s actually a sign of a bigger, much more modern problem. 

More people using landline phones than one year ago

People in Germany are using their fixed phone lines to make calls more often than they did a year ago, according to a new survey from comparison site Verivox. When asked, “Do you make phone calls at home using a fixed telephone line?” 81 percent of the 1.040 people aged between 18 and 69 answered yes. A year ago, the proportion was just 73 percent.

Before you quip, “Hey Germany, the 1990s called and it wants its phones back!”, it’s worth mentioning that people might not be using their landlines out of choice. According to Verivox expert Jens-Uwe Theumer, the country’s poor mobile phone network could be to blame, since many people have insufficient signal to use their mobile phones at home. “Mobile phone coverage leaves a lot to be desired, especially indoors,” he said.

He added that the coronavirus pandemic may also have played a role, since people have been at home more often over the past two years, perhaps meaning they have gotten used to using the landline once again. 

Patchy mobile signal still plagues Germany

More and more people are permanently switching to their mobile phones - to the extent that providers now commonly offer unlimited minutes in their packages for customers who use their phones both at home and on the go.

But it is possible that progress is being throttled in Germany by the country’s patchy network coverage. A recent Verivox survey found that more than half of the population regularly experiences dead zones or signal blackouts. Telecommunications companies are investing billions of euros in improving coverage, but it may still be some time before the federal republic finally loosens its collective grip on the fixed line phone.