The time for procrastination has passed; this is the year to go for POTS replacement options.
Why Companies Depend on Plain Old Telephone Services (POTS)
First of all, what is POTS? Plain old telephone services, or POTS, have been around in some form since 1876. But by the mid-2010s, many businesses began taking steps to reduce dependency on POTS, partly due to the mass migration to VoIP and partly due to the expectation that carriers would eventually stop supporting their vast network of aging copper lines.
Organizations began by moving whatever they could to alternative technology, such as DID on the PRI, eFax, SIP, or IP-based technology. However, all organizations left some services reliant upon POTS, usually those that were not a good fit for VoIP. Services requiring an analog dial tone remained on POTS phone lines (including some required by law), such as fax, alarm, point of sale, elevator, and e-911.
By 2021, for the average enterprise, much of their remaining POTS billing was for business-critical voice and fax services without a reliable alternative.
Three Reasons It’s Time to Replace Remaining POTS Lines
Cut costs by cutting POTS.
While the concept of POTS might be simple, sending signals over a wire, the infrastructure required to support this process is complex. Calls made over POTS lines travel between multiple locations on a grid, comprised of mechanical buildings and parts like copper lines, switchboards, and towers. This aging physical infrastructure, which is susceptible to weather-related outages and frequent repairs, requires investment from carriers, which they pass on to customers. But digital is less expensive. MetTel sees an immediate 30% reduction in costs when clients migrate their POTS lines to a digital alternative solution.
The days of POTS is numbered.
Due to the complexity of maintaining their POTS infrastructure, carriers have mapped their plain old telephone services exit strategies. In the past several months, major carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and CenturyLink have announced they are retiring POTS copper lines. Because much of an enterprise’s services still relying upon POTS are business-critical, like fax lines, alarms, point of sale, and elevator call buttons, organizations must get ahead of this issue. Without a POTS transformation plan, hospitals will be left with unreachable fax machines, office towers without elevator emergency lines, and retailers without burglar or fire alarms to protect their locations.
There’s finally a reliable POTS alternative for all services.
MetTel has built an innovative solution, POTS Transformation, to completely transform all traditional phone lines for voice and data services that had previously been left on plain old telephone services. With this fully managed service, from deployment to replacement, MetTel oversees the entirety of the migration process, to ensure a seamless transformation.
MetTel POTS Transformation includes:
- Turn-key deployment, including managed equipment and professional installation
- Business continuity, even during network outages
- Ongoing management from 24/7/365 US-based NOC monitoring & support
- LTE/5G connectivity for new locations and wireless backup services for existing location with broadband access.
Benefits of POTS Transformation and how it works.
MetTel recently hosted a webinar highlighting the technology at the heart of POTS Transformation. The on-demand webinar is a great way to learn more about the MetTel POTS Transformation network, the deployment and installation process, as well as technical specs. Plus, we discuss real-world results, including a case study from a healthcare client who saw a 40% savings from the POTS migration to MetTel’s solution.
