We know there are good reasons why businesses stick with what they have. Take the POTS lines (Plain Old Telephone Service) example, the network connection that supports your existing alarm services – elevator, fire, security – and possibly POS (Point of Sale) technologies. The copper landline, powered by the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN), works by sending analog audio signals through copper wires, and, by and large, works very well. So why change?
Your alarm panels, elevator lines and your analog POS systems are working and meet the needs of your business so why pay for an upgrade? Can you be sure that the additional benefits you would get by upgrading would outweigh the capital outlay required or the short term disruption to your workforce?
Copper Line Deregulation Forcing Change
Change is hard and, in some cases, costly, so it may be easier to stick with what is working even if that means paying more for the POTS line supporting your systems. . . What happens, however, when change is forced upon you, which is what’s happening now with the deregulation of copper lines. The FCC is enabling your POTS providers efforts to speed up the transition to modern network infrastructure by reducing regulations governing how operators can retire old copper lines.
Lucky customers have experienced huge rate increases that impact the bottom line, but at least they retain control over when they switch away from POTS lines. The unlucky ones may be given notice from their carrier that the service is shutting down in as little as 90 days. They are suddenly forced into the change.
The ideal solution is to make the change to the right POTS alternative. Replacing POTS with a VoIP service that that uses SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) technology can be tempting . but be warned, the migration can have unexpected consequences on your business.
System Errors in Analog to Digital Migration
Legacy alarm panels and elevator phones were designed for analog/TDM technology and attempting to connect them over SIP will often result in errors. The same goes for some POS hardware and fax machines. Once you disconnect your POTS line, there’s no going back.The risk is that you’re stuck with the upgrade expense and left with fundamental business systems that no longer work.
Not with Conterra. Our Specialty Lines are based on a Class 5 Softswitch, a software-based telephone switch that fully emulates a central office, delivering a high level of service quality and reliability, while providing a code-compliant network.
Using best-in-class components, we ensure a seamless migration from POTS to solution that lets you reap all the benefits – a 24/7 managed service that’s more affordable – with none of the risks.
A National Pet Care Retailer saw six-figure savings when it replaced POTS with a Conterra Specialty Line.
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