Aussies giving fixed phones the flick

Australian phone users are turning their backs on the standard landline and reaching for the mobile, a government report says.

The Telecommunications Today report, released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), shows 90 per cent of household consumers have both a fixed line phone and mobile phone, with 45 per cent preferring to use their mobile as their primary communication tool.

Mobiles appear to have reached all bar the "techno non-adopters", with only 10 per cent of homes claiming they do not own a mobile phone.

Cost was seen as the biggest factor in considering ditching the landline, with many indicating they would if the price of mobile calls was reduced.

The report also found an increasing number of consumers who have replaced, or intend to replace, their fixed-line phone service with other forms of voice communications.

Voice over IP (VoIP) is gaining in popularity with 20 per cent of consumers currently using the service.

The news comes days after another ACMA report, which revealed that there is now more than one mobile service for every Australian, with more than 21 million mobile phone services now in operation.