An FCC order regarding POTS replacement scheduled to go into effect August 2 may prove to be a gift
The end appears near for the workhorse voice-grade telephone system the United States relied on for more than a century. On August 2, 2022, local exchange carriers (LECs) are no longer required to support aging copper landlines known as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order 19-72A1 also allows Local exchange carriers (LECs) to stop providing competitors with discounted rates for POTS resale. What that means for the enterprise sector largely depends on the LEC and region.
In a worst-case scenario, once your LEC chooses to stop supporting copper wires, then it could mean your fax machine, ATM, elevator call box or fire alarm — among the typical uses for POTS lines — will stop functioning. Since some lines support public safety applications, businesses need to know what they can expect from their carriers heading into August 2nd.
Regardless of when the plug is pulled, what’s certain is that many of the estimated 36 million copper lines still in existence in the United States, will soon not be connected. Many of the copper lines have degraded due to age and aren’t reliable. The cost of maintaining them is high. Replacement parts are scarce and large numbers of technicians experienced at servicing the lines have retired. Each year, more enterprise customers turn to modern digital alternatives, such as cellular and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). These are more reliable, less expensive to maintain and offer numerous applications and capabilities that analog systems simply can’t deliver.
Cellular-backed POTS lines at Langston University
To some, the task of replacing a legacy technology may seem daunting.
A good starting place is to call the company providing the lines and ask about their plans for POTS. The next step is to contact a managed service provider (MSP) or systems integrator. They can help determine how many lines are involved and offer insight into replacement solutions. Another source of information is the organizations that have already made the transition.
Langston University, a public land-grant university located about 40-miles north of Oklahoma City, is among this group. According to Nicole Zoellner, Langston’s contracts administrator, school administrators learned in September 2021 that some of the POTS lines connecting the school’s blue-pole emergency phones with campus police were in urgent need of upgrade. Students had informed them that some of the phones no longer functioned.
Even before that, the POTS lines at Langston caused plenty of headaches. Zoellner shared that because they aged badly, finding two operating wires needed to make communication possible became increasingly difficult. The lines also needed frequent reprogramming.
The university decided it was time to find a POTS replacement solution.
Langston contacted RCN Technologies, a 5G & LTE managed services provider and expert in cellular POTS replacement solutions. Following a site survey, RCN assisted Langston in replacing the existing POTS lines with a cellular solution and expanded their emergency phone network from five to 11.
“We wanted wireless technology because that provided us with the most flexibility,” Zoellner said. “We have a huge master plan for the university and some departments will eventually move into new buildings. To fit our needs, I wanted a system that enabled us to change and move. We needed mobility and cellular provided that.”
A cellular POTS-replacement solution not only helps cut costs and boost efficiency, but it can also help future-proof the investment. Cellular solutions allow for real-time monitoring by a qualified MSP for POTS line management that was not possible with copper lines, one of many benefits that come with cellular-backed POTS-replacement networking technology.
Finding a knowledgeable partner is essential
Many businesses supporting multiple copper lines will likely discover that their POTS replacement needs are complex. Single location businesses utilize, on average, nearly three POTS lines, while large, multi-story buildings utilize an average of about 20 copper lines.
Deciding on the right solution is another place where a good MSP or systems integrator can provide valuable assistance. They can demonstrate how better routers connect to edge devices, such as an ATM machine, call box or alarm system, and then backhaul information to the internet or a cloud management portal.
“RCN was very responsive to our needs,” said Langston University’s Zoellner. “We ran into some trouble with suppliers and RCN solved many of those problems at their own expense. A lot of companies would not have done that. That is something that we valued greatly.”
The best MSPs and systems integrators act as consultants and can support a new system if any issues arise. They go on fact-finding missions with customers. They work to understand the pain points of a customer’s business and present solutions that address those needs with an eye for future growth.
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