Anyone over the age of 40 remembers growing up with a landline phone. They were the fundamental form of communication until the 1990s. Every home and office had one, and some had multiple connections, depending on what was needed for a particular room or office. Today, these landlines are referred to as plain old telephone service lines or POTS lines. And they are about to go the way of the dinosaur.
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A Little Bit of History
POTS lines have been around a long time, essentially back to the mass distribution of phone lines. With the earliest versions going back to 1876, POTS lines have been a standard requirement in any building, just like electrical wiring and plumbing up until the 2000s. That was about the time when cellular devices were not only widespread but extremely capable of fast Internet service as well. That was the death knell of the landline, with most homes today only keeping a landline for emergency connection service purposes. Most offices have switched over to Internet-based phone systems since.
Why Do POTS Still Exist?
POTS still provide a functional service in older buildings and facilities, oftentimes being used by businesses for basic phone lines that haven’t been eliminated, as well as fax machine connections. That said, they are aging and have become an unnecessary cost to maintain. Many businesses are now considering removing them entirely and going entirely mobile or VOIP.
Major Carriers are Saying Goodbye to POTS
The other big problem that has been increasing pressure for change is the shift of telecom carriers moving away from POTS lines altogether. An assortment of infrastructure costs is being carried by phone companies who aren’t making the income level desired off of the old landline structure. Many carriers are maintaining POTS networks as a loss, with the cost being offset by income from mobile service accounts, which is where the primary demand exists now. As a result, a number of players with increasing size are seriously looking at phasing out POTS networks altogether. They don’t make good business sense anymore. Those carriers include big names like AT&T, Verizon, Centurylink, and more.
Getting Ahead of the Curve
For companies considering getting ahead of the curve, a POTS replacement with Airdial makes a lot of sense. Not only can such companies fully take advantage of VOIP choices; they can also completely separate once and for all from legacy line networks. There was a time when concerns about the stability of mobile networks and the Internet during high demand justified keeping a landline. However, today, much of that argument is gone. Cellular services, VOIP, and mobile networks are simply too reliable to be ignored for regular use now. Holding onto POTS lines that still exist in a facility is wishful thinking; within a few years, they will become entirely obsolete. Getting on board with a POTS replacement approach just makes common sense.
