The FCC is no longer requiring carriers to support 1FB (AKA POTS) lines, and carriers must fully transition to an alternative service by August 2nd of 2022. It is expensive for carriers like AT&T to maintain POTS lines at this point as they are direct copper lines from their central offices in the area. That means most carriers, if not all, will no longer be supporting POTS lines by the end of the year. Thankfully, there are alternatives to POTS that are effective and reliable. Here, we discuss our recommendations for POTS line replacements and explain in more depth why POTS lines are being retired.
Why are POTS lines going away?
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines are an analog voice transmission system using copper wires. For decades, it was the only option for phone services. When VoIP (Voice over IP) entered the market, many businesses abandoned POTS for the significant cost savings of VoIP phones. But for technology that requires connectivity even during power outages – like elevators and fire panels – POTS has still been the standard.
In recent years, some businesses have successfully replaced their POTS lines for such emergency equipment and for fax lines with ATAs (Analog Telephone Adapters). This alternative has opened the door for the FCC to lift the requirement on carriers to offer POTS lines, and will be the new solution carriers offer in place of their POTS services. There are two main kinds of ATAs for POTS replacement.
Solution 1: ATAs with Office Internet Service
ATAs connected to office internet have been around for a long time now, and the technology works well for supporting fax services. However, these are not recommended for emergency or critical systems like elevators and fire panels. If the internet or building power goes down, ATAs on an office network will fail when they are most needed.
Solution 2: ATAs with Cellular (Wireless) Internet Service
Wireless LTE ATAs are the most common replacements for POTS lines used for security systems, fire panels, and elevators. This is because LTE can still work during a power outage or office internet outage. Some of the best POTS replacement solutions, like AReS (Analog Replacement Solutions), feature LTE and backup power for seamless failover.
Why your business needs to look for a POTS line alternative ASAP
Once the August 2nd deadline has passed, you won’t be able to find 1FB or POTS lines from any of the major carriers. Since most businesses only use these lines for fax and critical systems like fire and security, you don’t want to be caught scrambling for an alternative after the deadline has passed. Digital Agent is offering AReS POTS replacements to current and new customers, which features a reliable LTE failover and 24-hour-capable battery. Contact your Digital Agent for a consultation and quote.
Kate Lewis
Marketing & Sales Coordinator
Digital Agent
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