The Dreaded Letter
“Dear Customer, we are upgrading our network to the newest fiber technology, and as such, our older copper network is being retired. Your next bill will reflect a 50% increase in the cost of your telephone lines for the next 6 months, at which time your services will be terminated.”
We all remember a time not so long ago there was a landline in every home. When telephone companies first implemented these voice lines, it was government-funded so anyone can dial 911, no matter their income.
Well, that era has come to an end. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) or Analog Lines, are now obsolete. Not just for your homes, but for businesses that rely on them. If you still have old copper telephone landlines, your company needs a game plan to replace them.
Who Has Analog Lines?
The major telecom providers who offer analog lines include AT&T, Lumen (formerly CenturyLink), Verizon, and Frontier.
The Federal Communications Commission (FFC) estimates there are over “36 million active analog lines in the United States…with an average customer cost of $65 – $100 per line.” The current price is staggering today when newer technology and quicker deployment is available for a fraction of the cost.
Why are Plain Old Telephone Services going away?
Analog lines are built on a copper infrastructure that is old, expensive to install, and difficult to maintain. Analog lines have been around for 60+ years and as a result, some of the copper cables in the ground are rotting. In addition, most technicians who were once specialized to maintain these systems have since retired
As your provider begins to phase out analog lines, you can expect an invoice increase to reflect the burden of keeping these lines operational. Superior fiber infrastructure, wireless networks, and digital voice solutions are proven to be more cost-effective and a better solution to outdated analog lines.
When are Analog Lines going away?
NOW! Business Ethernet Over Copper, used for supporting Call Centers and Business Voice Lines are being recalled. AT&T and Verizon have already halted repairing damaged copper. The FFC is mandating the decommissioning of these analog lines by the beginning of August 2022.
What does this mean for You?
Higher costs: POTs providers are jacking rates up by 50-80% to incentivize customers to upgrade to the new technology.
Additionally, analog customers can expect limited monitoring and support. For instance, customers would be hard-pressed to get immediate service by a technician for faulty alarm systems running on analog lines. Carriers are simply not investing the resources to support these lines because of their decommissioning.
Alternative Solutions
If you have analog lines for alarms or elevators, 4G LTE would be a future-proof solution that will drastically reduce costs and increase service reliability.
Furthermore, businesses that utilize analog lines would be impressed by transitioning to a digital hosted voice solution. The myth if voice services run over an internet connection there is a possible loss in reliability. However, hosted voice services are far more reliable than analog lines and open countless unified communication opportunities across all platforms.
To help accommodate the increasing need for more internet when adopting new technologies, a Telecom Availability Report helps our customers explore a blend of merged solutions to save money on their phone and internet bills.
Find out more about partnering with Tenant Telecom Advisors.
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