A significant percentage of young Australians don’t bother to buy a landline phone when getting their first home or apartment, according to a recent report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Of 18- to 24-year-olds who no longer live with their parents, only 60% still have a fixed-line telephone in their household. That compares to 88% of the general population, and 96% of those aged 65 and over.

“Younger adults are leading Australia`s shift away from fixed-line communications, with many choosing not to connect a fixed-line phone in their new residence when they move out of the parental home,” commented ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, on the findings. “The level of mobile service take-up in this demographic is among the highest in the country, at 95 percent of 25- to 35-year-olds.”

This research “highlights the role younger people are playing in embracing new communications technology,” while also demonstrating the “ongoing importance of the traditional phone service to the lives of older Australians,” Chapman explained.