POTS Line Decommissioning: Hidden Risks for Your Customers

As major carriers decommission POTS lines across the U.S., your customers may discover that critical systems were quietly dependent on infrastructure that is no longer supported. These failures rarely appear during routine installations. They surface during inspections, emergencies, or outages, when the consequences are highest. 

Because documentation around POTS lines is often incomplete or outdated, these dependencies are easy to miss. Even when you believe a customer environment is fully covered, an undiscovered POTS dependency can result in service disruption, compliance issues, and an escalation that ultimately lands on you. 

Systems Still Running on POTS  

Your clients are often unaware that the following systems still rely on analog lines: 

• Fire alarm panels 
• Security systems 
• Utility, gate or access control systems 
• Elevator emergency phones 
• Emergency call boxes 
• Fax machines 
• Legacy Point-of-Sales systems 

Why POTS Dependencies Are Difficult to Find 

Identifying POTS lines is rarely as simple as reviewing a bill or checking with IT. These circuits often fall under facilities, security, or property management, and their physical endpoints are frequently undocumented or mislabeled. 

A thorough audit of existing circuits and endpoints is the only way to uncover hidden dependencies. Once those dependencies are identified, the next step is recommending a replacement that preserves the reliability and behavior POTS originally provided.  

Cellular and Satellite Solutions Aren’t Always the Answer 

Cellular and satellite connectivity can work for some POTS replacements, but both rely on shared public networks. That introduces variability in latency, jitter, and performance, especially during emergencies when network congestion is highest. 

These options may appear cost-effective, but for systems that depend on consistent, reliable connectivity, such as life safety, compliance-driven, or analog-sensitive systems, they can introduce unacceptable risk. 

When reliability matters more than convenience, fixed wireless is often the better alternative. 

Use Cases Where Fixed Wireless is an Ideal POTS Replacement 

• Multi-site enterprises with POTS lines at each location. Manageable individually, but catastrophic when many fail at once. 
• Remote or hard-to-serve locations where fiber construction is costly or does not align with copper retirement timelines. 
• Sites with few but critical dependencies, including warehouses, manufacturing outbuildings, and energy, water, or transportation facilities. 
• Multi-tenant business buildings where landlords remove copper, but tenants remain responsible for safety and compliance lines. 
• Enterprises requiring a backup path that is not cellular or satellite. 
• Failover for systems sensitive to jitter, such as security and alarm systems. 
• Out-of-band management lines that must operate independently of the primary network. 

How BeyondReach Supports POTS Migration 

When customers need to move off TDM or copper and cellular or satellite solutions are not suitable, BeyondReach provides a reliable fixed wireless alternative. Our national network enables rapid deployment with minimal disruption, supporting faster cutovers than fiber while maintaining service continuity. 

BeyondReach supports analog-friendly transitions, ongoing monitoring, and scalable connectivity that aligns with long-term client needs, helping reduce operational risk and total cost over time. 

Even when you don’t yet know where POTS dependencies exist, BeyondReach is a trusted partner when timelines are tight or when proactive replacement can prevent future failures. 

Key Questions to Qualify a Fixed Wireless Replacement 

Fixed wireless is a strong fit when the former POTS line: 

• Protects life safety 
• Must operate during disasters or outages 
• Depends on analog timing or consistent signaling 
• Serves as a backup and must remain on an independent path 
• Has high consequences for failure, even if rarely used 
• Is assumed by the client to “just work” during outages 
• Cannot rely on cellular because it is already the primary backup 

Many organizations believe they’ve reduced risk by moving life safety systems to IP, but without a truly independent backup path, they’ve simply shifted it. Fixed wireless replaces the resiliency POTS lines once provided by delivering a dedicated, non-cellular connection that keeps critical systems operational with outages, congestion, or failures occur. Redundancy is where fixed wireless really shines.