Major telecommunications providers are retiring their analog POTS lines to encourage consumers to migrate toward new digital technology. This means your business will be forced to choose a replacement solution.
The decision to replace your POTS lines is a significant one. It involves matching technology to applications and business priorities and requires a strategic approach to ensure future-proofing and scalability.
Analog
A POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line is a copper wire network that powers analog devices like fire alarm panels, elevator phones, fax machines and building access systems. Many businesses still rely on these legacy networks, but the FCC is slowly phasing them out in favor of digital alternatives like VoIP landlines and cellular connections.
As telecommunications providers and the FCC phase out analog copper lines, they raise prices and make it difficult for organizations to maintain safety devices and mission-critical systems requiring POTS replacement solution. Competent telecom managers know it’s time to migrate to a modern communications platform.
Thankfully, some tools can be used to convert your current analog devices to IP-based services. This makes it possible to transition your business-critical voice, data and video applications to a more reliable and secure system.
If your organization has an existing POTS line that supports critical functions, you may need a specialized solution for the conversion process. A patented POTS replacement system can connect your analog devices to a digital network.
The solution is called Granite EPIK, qualified as an MFVN (Managed Facilities-based Voice Network). It provides full analog compatibility with all fire and safety-related systems, 4G LTE connectivity and cellular backup. It is designed for organizations with existing analog POTS lines and needs a scalable, cost-effective solution that meets a wide range of industry requirements and compliances.
VoIP
VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a way to connect your business phone system to the Internet. It uses a high-speed internet connection to transfer voice data. Because it works with internet connections, it’s faster and easier than traditional telephone service.
VOIP also offers many helpful business features that are difficult to find with traditional phone networks. These include voicemail and voicemail transcription.
Another helpful feature is call forwarding. This lets you take your VoIP number with you wherever you have internet access, whether at home, in the office or on a business trip.
The ability to record calls helps your team understand how they handle customer inquiries. It can help them improve their handling of calls, and it can also help evaluate the performance of new employees.
You can even add a call queue to your VOIP system, which makes it easier to answer calls in a particular order. These call queues can be particularly helpful when your business expands, allowing you to assign incoming calls to different people.
POTS replacement solutions can be expensive, but VoIP can save you money in the long run. Because VoIP doesn’t rely on analog telephone lines, it won’t increase your monthly phone bill as your company grows. And it can make your current lines more reliable by eliminating downtime.
Cellular
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has clarified that traditional landlines are no longer necessary for businesses and homes. Consequently, major telephone providers are retiring their copper-wire infrastructure and shutting off service from August 2, 2022.
If your business depends on the analog-dial-tone voice and data services – including faxes, alarms, elevators, fire panels, POS terminals and ATMs – replacing those lines is critical. FCC guidelines now require businesses to transition these services from analog connectivity to next-generation solutions like LTE.
Cellular POTS replacement offers a simple and cost-effective solution to address the need for more robust and reliable voice and data services. These cellular systems replace your POTS line with an adapter that connects to the Internet via broadband, Wi-Fi or a 4G LTE SIM.
Unlike fixed-line, fiber or cable connections, cellular networks operate over circuit-switched networks that maintain dedicated phone lines but protect them from traffic and interference. This allows for redundancy and a built-in emergency failover mechanism that keeps communications going when a network outage occurs.
Besides providing more reliable service, cellular lines can also save your business money. Cellular costs have decreased significantly compared to traditional POTS lines in recent years. This makes cellular an attractive alternative for any business that wants to make a smart switch to the future.
Managed Services
With plain old telephone service lines (POTS) being phased out by telecom providers, businesses are facing the prospect of losing a critical business-critical communications tool. Not only do many companies run on POTS lines for voice, but they also use them to operate security alarms, elevators and fax machines.
Fortunately, cloud-based VoIP and wireless technology are now available to replace POTS for voice and specialty applications like burglar alarms, elevators, fax, point of sale, vending machines, ATMs and E-911 systems. These solutions provide a reliable and cost-effective migration path for legacy analog voice and specialty line services.
Another option is managed services, which can be used to manage the IT infrastructure of SMBs proactively. This service can be helpful for businesses that may need more money to hire a full-time IT team.
There are a few different models to choose from when it comes to managed services. Some offer remote monitoring and maintenance, while others work on one-time IT projects.
The right solution for your business depends on your company’s IT needs, how you want to manage the technology and how much time you want a partner to spend helping you solve issues. Generally speaking, managed services are in it for the long haul and can be a great option to take on IT challenges that otherwise would not get solved.
