[telecom] 3 in 10 get all or most calls on cell phones

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- For nearly three in 10 households, don't even bother trying to call them on a landline phone. They either only have a cell phone or seldom if ever take calls on their traditional phone.

The federal figures, released Wednesday, showed that reliance on cells is continuing to rise at the expense of wired telephones. In the second half of last year, 16 percent of households only had cell phones, while

13 percent also had landlines but got all or nearly all their calls on their cells.

The number of wireless-only households grew by 2 percentage points since the first half of last year. Underscoring the rapid growth, in early 2004 just 5 percent had only cell phones.