Almost one fifth of European households have gone completely wireless, curring off their landline telephone subscriptions to use mobile phones alone, according to a recent study by the EU’s statistical office.

Eurostat reported that there were 95 wireless subscriptions per 100 EU inhabitants as of 2005, up from just 8 per 100 in 1996, and that 18% of households had mobile phones only as of late 2006. The data includes all 27 EU countries, with the exceptions of Bulgaria and Romania, which only joined the Union this year.

Eurostat concluded that central and eastern European countries, especially ex-communist states, tended to have more households relying solely on mobile phones. 42% of Czech Republic households were without landline service, for example, compared to just 11% in Germany. This is because most of the former communist countries that joined the EU in 2004 have much less developed landline infrastructure than their western European counterparts.

Source: http://www.teleclick.ca/2007/12/18-of-european-households-use-mobile-phones-only/