it is to track a landline phone

[Maybo]

Can I delete the words "it is" before "to track" in the following sentence?

And it's much harder to trace the exact location of a cell phone than it is to track a landline phone. (A 911 call with a fake pizza order helped stop a possible attack. But what if you can't speak to 911? by Holly Yan)

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes. You can also delete 'to track'.

 

[emsr2d2]

Can I delete the words "it is" before "to track" in the following sentence?

And it's much harder to trace the exact location of a cell phone than it is to track a landline phone. (A 911 call with a fake pizza order helped stop a possible attack. But what if you can't speak to 911? by Holly Yan)

There are a couple of options for reducing that sentence. You could use:

And it's much harder to trace the exact location of a cellphone than it is a landline phone.
And it's much harder to trace the exact location of a cellphone than a landline phone.
And it's much harder to trace the exact location of a cellphone than a landline.

In real life, I would say:

It's a lot harder to pinpoint a mobile than a landline.