Contributed by Mike Machi
Your organization may be at risk or at a minimum your operational costs are likely higher than they should be in an area that is often overlooked. I am speaking about your business’s Analog (POTS) lines. For many companies, the reliance on POTS services is still very prevalent and in many cases are still in active use for life safety applications such as security and fire alarms, elevators, and legacy phones & fax machines.
Traditional phone lines delivered over legacy copper pairs are becoming a thing of the past, as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) that has delivered phone service to US residents and businesses for decades is slowly receding. This is in part due to an FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Order that mandates that legacy POTS carriers in the USA may stop offering traditional Local Lines beginning August 2, 2022. While legacy copper lines are still heavily used across the nation and will be for the foreseeable future, service providers are beginning to make business decisions to decommission access in markets where their cost exceeds their revenue potential. This may not have affected your business thus far, but we are seeing regular examples with end-of-service notices in some regions, so it is likely a matter of time before it does. This is where QuantumShift can really help “future proof” your legacy applications with our broad portfolio of alternate POTS solutions that can not only help maintain your applications, but also stabilize and reduce your cost at the same time.
In recent years, new cloud-based solutions that convert traditional analog landline signals to Internet Protocol (IP), delivering Voice over IP (VoIP) internet connections supporting basic voice and specialty analog communication such as FAX, alarm, elevators, point-of-sale terminals, and more have been established and begun to grow in adoption at an exponential pace. Instead of having multiple dedicated lines that are connected to a traditional telephone network, your analog voice and specialty data lines are connected to a special voice router, which converts an IP signal to an analog signal, allowing you to maintain use of your applications that rely on analog communication while simultaneously taking advantage of the flexibility and value of communication over the internet. Each of the solutions available has received the required certifications and approval and includes an embedded battery backup. You can have peace of mind with remote monitoring of connections, hardware, performance, and service continuity with up to 12 hours internal standby battery for use during local power outages augmented by redundant network access through the embedded cellular (LTE) modem.
While you may not think you have the time to prioritize replacing your existing POTS services, we suggest you lean on QuantumShift to help tackle the Planning & Procurement, Operations Management, and Expense Management tasks as an extension of your team. QuantumShift is the only partner who brings a comprehensive portfolio of POTS and POTS replacement solutions to support your needs including legacy copper services from your local phone company as well as certified and purpose-built VoIP solutions with or without LTE backup. With QuantumShift you will be able to select the right solution for your needs powered by our Aggregation, Consolidation, Normalization, and Integration to help you manage the full IT Lifecyle of your POTS solution.
AT&T Phone for Business – Advanced
AT&T entered this market recently, but their solution is robust and turn-key. It includes everything needed including local phone number(s) and unlimited domestic calls, standard calling features, hardware, backup LTE connectivity, and standard professional installation. This impressive offering is built on the strength of the AT&T network coupled with a partnership with DataRemote, a leader in the hardware space in this market, and is offered an easy understand per-line rate nationwide (US 50) with a required 3-year term commitment.
Granite EPIK
Granite entered this market in 2021 with their acquisition of EPIK, a solution provider that had developed a purpose-built solution including a custom-designed network device. This bundled turn-key offering includes local phone number(s) and unlimited domestic calls, standard calling features, hardware, Dual backup LTE connectivity, and standard professional installation. NOTE: International calls are not supported at this time. Granite’s EPIK solution is offered nationwide (US 50) with a required 3-year term commitment.
MIX Networks POTS IN A BOX®
MIX may not be a household brand, but they peered with DataRemote to establish a solution that leverages their existing voice network structure to provide a flexible, consistent, and robust product. They have a proven track record of success through years of experience with this newer technology. POTS IN A BOX® (PIAB) is presented without term commitment (MTM) as an aggressively priced a la carte solution with flexibility to meet unique business needs. The low per–line rate includes local phone number(s), standard calling features, and 1,000 minutes of pooled domestic calling minutes and purchase or financing is available for the required hardware. Professional Installation is available but not required, allowing you to manage cost if you want to do the work in-house or use an existing vendor.
Comcast Business Class Voice
As a natural evolution to Comcast’s long history in providing analog services embedded with their Broadband solution for consumers, this dedicated Business offering provides support for more than just residential voice services. This VoIP solution includes local phone number(s) and unlimited domestic calls, standard calling features, hardware, and standard professional installation using Comcast’s existing Cable/Broadband network for transport. This is a fully contained solution that is not reliant on your existing internet and does not support backup network connectivity over LTE. Service is available within Comcast’s Broadband footprint with 1-, 2-, or 3-year commitment.
Please engage your QuantumShift sales team to discuss your requirements and to identify which solution is best for your needs or rest assured that QuantumShift is ready to help you navigate your IT needs when you are ready.
