Key facts
- Finland has retired its analogue landline phone network after nearly 150 years of service.
- The transition moves the country towards digital infrastructure, primarily fibre optic cables.
- Elisa, the country's last major telecom operator with a copper-wire network, made the final call.
- The move follows similar transitions in Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain.
Finland has officially retired its analogue landline phone network, marking the end of an era after nearly 150 years. The country is transitioning to digital infrastructure, primarily fibre optics, which can handle both internet services and voice calls.
The Finnish fixed-line network began operating in the 1880s. However, the digital revolution and the widespread adoption of mobile technology have led to the obsolescence of the old copper-wire-based system. Elisa, the country's last major telecom operator with such a network, announced its decision to retire the service earlier in the year.
The final analogue landline call was made between Elisa CEO Topi Manner and Jarkko Saarimaki, head of Finland's communication and transport agency. They reminisced about their experiences with landline phones and discussed the future of mobile technologies before concluding the call.
Finland joins other nations like Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain that have already phased out their analogue landline services. Elisa stated that only a few thousand customers were still using landline-only plans, with no new subscriptions being sold for years. Following this shutdown, only local operators will continue to offer landline plans to a small number of customers.