Updated on August 10, 2018 by John Clarke
The world of telephone communications has been changing. Drastically. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) with copper wire connections were long the king of communication across the nation. These analog phones are being progressively replaced with digital technology and superior Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems. While areas with copper wire connections are still available, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving to make these obsolete permanently in the next few years. For more information, here is a presentation from the FCC.
So what does this mean for you as a business consumer? If you are already upgraded to digital phones with either a VoIP Cloud or Hosted phone system, you have no reason to fear. For organizations still utilizing POTS and premise-based phone systems, this is extremely important to be aware of. With the FCC pressing for the discontinuation of analog lines, your only option will be to upgrade to VoIP.
Is this a bad thing? Actually, no. VoIP phone systems are often more cost effective than POTS, for both the consumer and providers. Saving money is, of course, a good thing. Additionally, VoIP can have a much higher call quality, more advanced features, and other benefits that are not available (or as good) on analog lines.
To learn more about the cost-effectiveness of upgrading to a VoIP phone system, check out our Blog post “A VoIP Phone System – What Does it Cost?“
Analog phone lines have always been the most reliable form of communication during emergencies. They maintain their own power source, so in the case of a power outage, calls can still be made. This is the biggest point that consumers are bringing up against the FCC’s upcoming regulations. With the advent of Wireless 911 support and FCC regulation for VoIP sustainability during emergencies, these concerns are beginning to dispel.
Let’s take a quick summary of VoIP:
+ Saves you money
+ Higher Call Quality
+ Advanced Features
+ Most Development & Improvements
For a more detailed summary, read “What Makes a VoIP Phone System Different?”
As a service provider, we will be required to adhere to these regulations once they are active. Our goal is to ensure you have a telephone service that serves business needs. Many of our customers have already made the switch from analog to VoIP, prior to knowledge of the impending regulations. The VoIP Phone Systems offer many benefits over POTS, which is the reason this transition is occurring as a whole. The time of analog is coming to an end for the superiority of VoIP and Ohio.net aims to make sure no one gets stranded on a system that will be out of service in the future.
“…analog is coming to an end…”
Our recommendation is to make the switch to VoIP digital phones now before the regulation is enstated and analog phone service takes a hit. Get in contact with a member of our team to discuss your options, there are plenty! As mentioned, making the transition may actually save you time, effort and money, so why not plan out what your transition will look like?