“We got a landline.” … “What’s a landline?”
Quick Recommendations for Las Vegas
- Best for security systems and legacy alarms: CenturyLink copper landline, where available, or a reliable cellular landline option such as Community Phone (confirm with your alarm company first).
- Best budget home phone: Ooma. Once the hardware is purchased, you only pay taxes and fees.
- Best for bundles with internet and TV: Cox Communications for most of the metro area.
- Best for frequent international calling: Voiply, with unlimited calling to many countries.
Top Home Phone Providers in Las Vegas (2025 Snapshot)
*Estimated promotional pricing often requires bundling of internet/TV. **Ooma users pay required government taxes and fees (approx. $4–7/mo).
The Critical Guide: Phone Service for Las Vegas Home Security and Medical Alerts
If your primary reason for needing a landline is for a security alarm, fire monitor, or medical alert device, read this section carefully. The reliability of your line can be a life-or-death issue during a power outage or natural disaster.
⚠️ WARNING: VoIP is UNRELIABLE for Legacy Alarm Systems
- Power dependency: Standard VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) from providers like Cox or Spectrum will fail if the power goes out or your internet modem loses connection.
- Signal distortion: VoIP uses compression that can scramble the analog tones sent by older alarm panels, often causing the monitoring center to receive a corrupted or delayed signal.
- The PUCN stance: The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) regulates traditional carriers like CenturyLink for reliability, but the PUCN does NOT regulate VoIP—you rely solely on the provider’s service quality.
Reliability Recommendations for the Las Vegas Valley
Given the risk of NV Energy power outages and the extreme summer heat stressing infrastructure, many experts recommend avoiding older copper lines for security and choosing monitored systems that can signal during local power or internet failures.
Important note about disaster readiness: Traditional copper landlines used to stay powered during outages because they received electricity from the telephone company’s central office. However, most Las Vegas homes today no longer have true copper lines, and VoIP services depend entirely on your home’s power and internet connection. Only modern systems with battery-backed equipment—or cellular-based monitoring—continue working during a local outage.
- Best solution (cellular backup): Upgrade to a modern alarm system that uses a built-in cellular (GSM or LTE) communicator. This acts like a separate cell phone that alerts the monitoring station, independent of your internet or home power.
- Secondary solution (cellular landline): Consider a service such as Community Phone or another cellular home phone adapter that provides a battery-backed cellular connection and works with your existing standard home phones.
- Action step: Always call your alarm monitoring company FIRST to confirm their approved communication methods before changing your phone service.
Las Vegas Telephone Company Reliability Comparison
The Best Home Phone Providers in Las Vegas
Cox Communications (VoIP over Fiber/Cable)
Cox Communications provides cable- and fiber-based VoIP services, which, combined with its high-speed internet & TV services, make it the leading wired phone provider in the Las Vegas Valley. Cox’s digital telephone service is one of the most versatile available, with a wide variety of options for those living in the Summerlin, Henderson & Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Local insight: If you live in an area with Cox fiber, your reliability and call quality are usually excellent. However, all-digital phone service requires a backup battery during an NV Energy power outage to function, as it depends on your modem and in-home equipment.
Pros
- Widespread availability in most Las Vegas neighborhoods.
- Attractive bundle discounts when paired with internet and TV.
- Modern calling features include voicemail, caller ID, and call forwarding.
Cons
- VoIP-based, so it typically stops working during power or modem failures without a battery backup.
- Not a traditional copper landline, which some legacy devices still expect.
- Promotional pricing often increases after the initial term.
CenturyLink (Lumen/Brightspeed) – POTS and Fiber VoIP
CenturyLink has historically been the primary provider of traditional POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) copper landlines in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, making it essential to certain legacy users. Today, they also offer modern VoIP and fiber services, sometimes branded under related names such as Lumen or Brightspeed.
Branding note: In certain areas, there are some differences between the branding of residential service (CenturyLink, Lumen or Brightspeed). While the names may differ, many of these services use the same technology and serve many of the same geographic areas.
Local insight: For some older residents in North Las Vegas and established neighborhoods, CenturyLink’s remaining copper lines may be the closest thing to a traditional “always on” landline, mainly when used with a basic corded phone. Coverage quality and technology, however, vary widely depending on whether copper, DSL, or fiber serves your address.
About call quality and reliability: When copper service is still available, it offers unmatched clarity and consistency because it doesn’t suffer from WiFi interference, modem resets, or network congestion. This makes it appealing to older residents, small businesses, and customers who prioritize call stability. However, because copper is being retired nationwide, many Las Vegas addresses receive VoIP instead, which depends on the quality of your home internet connection.
Pros
- In certain areas, it may still offer copper landline service (POTS).
- Some users prefer the familiarity and simplicity of a traditional phone line.
- Can bundle with internet packages where available.
Cons
- Copper lines are being phased out and are not available everywhere.
- Service quality can vary significantly between addresses.
- Like other providers, newer offerings may rely on VoIP instead of copper.
Voiply and Ooma (Dedicated Low-Cost VoIP Providers)
Voiply and Ooma are hardware-based VoIP alternatives designed for people who already have high-speed internet (such as Cox or Quantum Fiber) but want to separate their phone service from their internet provider. These options typically offer low monthly costs and robust calling features.
Local insight: These services are ideal for budget-conscious residents or households that make frequent calls to Canada, Mexico, or other international destinations, a common need in the Las Vegas area.
Pros
- Very low monthly cost compared with many traditional providers.
- Ooma can offer nearly free nationwide calling after you purchase the hardware.
- Voiply often includes generous or unlimited international calling in its plans.
- Flexible hardware that can work with existing home phones.
Cons
- Entirely dependent on your home internet connection and power.
- Not ideal for legacy alarm systems that expect an analog copper line.
- Some users may need technical help setting up and optimizing their routers and quality-of-service settings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Do I still need a landline in Las Vegas?
A: Most households no longer need a traditional landline, but it can still be useful in certain situations. If you have a legacy security system or medical alert device that requires a phone line, or you prefer the stability of a fixed-line connection, keeping one may make sense. Since copper landlines are limited and being phased out in Las Vegas, most residents now rely on VoIP home phone service. Always check with your alarm or medical monitoring company before switching technologies.
Q: Are all phone service providers regulated by the PUCN (Public Utilities Commission of Nevada)?
A: No. The PUCN regulates traditional landline services supplied by legacy carriers—the old copper POTS network—where it still exists. It does not regulate VoIP, internet-based phone services, or wireless/mobile technologies. For those categories, customer complaints typically go through the FCC.
Q: Do landlines offer better call quality than VoIP or mobile?
A: Yes—when true copper landlines are still available. Copper POTS lines deliver excellent clarity because they are not affected by WiFi signal strength, modem congestion, or cellular interference. However, most Las Vegas neighborhoods now rely on digital VoIP, where call quality depends heavily on the stability of your internet provider.
Q: Are landlines more private than mobile phones?
A: Copper landlines do not use apps, GPS, or wireless transmissions, which means they avoid mobile tracking concerns and app-based privacy risks. However, landlines are not immune to interception, and modern encrypted VoIP services can sometimes offer stronger digital privacy protections. For most households, the biggest privacy benefit is simply that a landline reveals less behavioral data than a smartphone.
Q: What are the best bundles available in Las Vegas for combining phone service and Internet?
A: Cox Communications and Spectrum/Charter typically offer the strongest discounts when bundling home phone service with internet and TV packages. Availability, speed, and promotional pricing differ by neighborhood, so checking your exact address is essential.
Q: If I switch to another provider, can I keep my current 702 or 725 area code number?
A: In nearly all cases, yes. Most major providers—including VoIP companies such as Ooma and Voiply—support number porting. Porting generally takes 5–15 business days. Keep your old service active until the port completes to avoid losing your number.
Q: Why do some Las Vegas businesses still use a landline or landline-style number?
A: Many small businesses keep a landline-style number because it signals stability and professionalism to customers. Even when the underlying service is VoIP, a dedicated business line helps separate personal and work calls and supports key features like call forwarding, hunt groups, and receptionist routing. These tools remain valuable for contractors, home-based businesses, medical offices, and service providers who depend on reliable communication.
More Essential Vegas Utility Resources
- Compare Las Vegas Internet Providers (DSL, Cable, Fiber)
- First-Time Resident Checklist: Setting Up Utilities in Las Vegas
