Do you remember those “pin drop” commercials from Sprint? If not,
brace yourself:

Yes, in 1986 at least one phone company was trying to sell crystal clear audio quality. Now the big selling point in telecommunications has changed:

We’ve gone from hearing a pin drop to settling for hearing anything at all. Some of us don’t even want to bother with phone calls anymore. Sending a bunch of relatively expensive telegrams will do.

Welcome to the wonders of the 21st century.