Home sweet phone: over 80 percent of Canadians choose to have a home phone line

When it comes to things that are most important, Canadians prefer to connect over the phone

TORONTO, July 31, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - While many of us frequently send-off quick electronic messages, the majority of Canadians still pick up the phone to catch up and stay connected when it counts. According to a survey commissioned by Primus Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PTGi (Primus Telecommunications Group, Inc.) NYSE:PTGI, and conducted by Angus Reid, 83 percent of Canadians have an active home phone line.

So why, in the age of smart phones, do so many Canadians maintain a home phone line? The number one reason is that people want a phone number that's tied to their household or family, rather than just to them personally. It helps them stay connected to those closest to them - 67 percent say their extended family members contact them primarily at their home number, followed by friends at 63 percent, parents at 49 percent, spouse/partner at 47 percent and kids at 35 percent.

"The message we hear from Canadians is that their home phone gives their family and household a central contact point for those who are most important to them, such as family and friends," says Rob Warden, Senior Vice President, Residential Services at Primus Canada. "Home phones provide a very reliable means of communication that you can't always get from a mobile phone, and clearly Canadians still value the personal touch of a phone call."

Given the choice between the phone, email, text or social media, more Canadians choose to relay good news and important messages by phone. Fifty-six percent call to say "Happy Birthday!" where only 20 percent choose social media, 12 percent email and 5 percent text message. Asking for a favour also requires a conversation, with 65 percent choosing to talk it out compared to texting and emailing (both at 8 percent) or social media (2 percent).

"Congratulations on the job promotion!" warrants a call for 48 percent of Canadians, versus 24 percent over email, 12 percent social media and 7 percent text message. And the polite thing to do when you're running late is to call. 67 percent of Canadians do so. Text message follows at 24 percent, email at 4 percent and social media at 1 percent.

While email edges out the phone slightly when it comes to keeping in touch on a regular basis, the difference is only 3 percent - 33 percent choose email, 30 percent a phone call, 23 percent social media and 11 percent text message. Email is the big winner overall when it comes to how Canadians spend their time online; 95 percent said email is what they typically use the Internet for, followed by general research at 81 percent, banking at 77 percent, news at 65 percent and social networking at 59 percent.

From May 25th to May 26th 2012 an online survey was conducted among 1,516 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panel members. The margin of error is +/- 2.5%, or 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to age, gender, region and education (and language in Quebec) to ensure a sample representative of the entire population of Canada.

About Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc.

Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc. is the largest alternative telecommunications service provider in Canada. Primus Canada offers a wide selection of consumer and business telecommunications services available nationwide including Home Phone, Internet, Long Distance, VoIP, Wireless, Hosting, Managed Services and Enterprise IP Telephony. Primus Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McLean, Virginia-based Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (NYSE: PTGI). Additional information is available at primus.ca.

About PTGi PTGi (Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated) is a leading provider of advanced communication solutions, including, traditional and IP voice, data, mobile services, broadband Internet, collocation, hosting, and outsourced managed services to business and residential customers in the United States and Canada. PTGi is also one of the leading international wholesale service providers to fixed and mobile network operators worldwide. PTGi owns and operates its own global network of next-generation IP soft switches, media gateways, hosted IP/SIP platforms, broadband infrastructure, fiber capacity, and data centers located in Canada. Founded in 1994, PTGi is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.