The traditional landline phone is dying in Europe, according to a new study reported by the BBC. On average, 18% of European households now have no landline phone but do have a mobile phone. This figure rises as high as 48% in Lithuania and 47% in Finland. It also reveals that there are 95 mobile phones for every 100 people in Europe.

Somewhat confusingly, the same study also said that landline penetration had grown between 1995 and 2005 (43% penetration in 1995, 48% penetration in 2005). However, this may be more of a reflection of trends in the 90s than recent times. Mobile phones were very expensive to buy and operate back then, and in the pre-DSL period many people  installed a second landline in order to use dial-up internet access without blocking their main phone number.