New research is showing that almost half of all households that move shift their new telecom service to a non-traditional service provider such as a wireless operator, a cable company or a VoIP provider.

Telephia's Total Communications Survey for Q4 2006 shows that 49% of households moving during the fourth quarter of 2006 migrated away from a traditional telephone line with 25% choosing to go wireless only. Cable MSOs garnered 13% of the moving households and VoIP providers attracted six percent.

The Telephia Total Communications Survey results are based on a monthly survey of 7000 U.S. households in 102 metro areas that looks at voice, Internet access and video services.

The shift is significant, according to Christianne Pang, product director at Telephia, because it reflects new choices being made at a point of change.

“Movers tend to consider all available connectivity options in an unconstrained purchase environment. They also represent an opportunity for providers to land long-term customers who probably won't make a switch until the next move,” Pang said in a prepared statement. “Our carrier clients regard this segment as an important early indicator of market share shifts so Telephia is developing a number of research tools to track behaviors and decision drivers among recent movers.”