POTS Line Replacement for Fire Alarms, Elevators, and Fax Lines

Copper is going away

Commercial fire alarm control panel with the cabinet open, showing wiring and an inspection tag
Passenger pressing the emergency call button inside an elevator
Metal keypad at a gated commercial entrance
  • AT&T stopped taking new copper orders in October 2025 and is targeting an exit by 2029.
  • It happens wire center by wire center. You get roughly 90 days of notice.
  • The FCC removed the steps that used to slow retirements down. It is moving faster now.

Ninety days is not long once you find every line, order equipment, schedule an install, and test with your monitoring company.

What goes dead with the line

What we install

Cellular is the path

The line rides on cellular, so it stays up when your internet does not. A second wired path is available where your inspector calls for it.

Battery measured in days

Backup that outlasts a real outage, not a fifteen minute UPS.

We are platform neutral. Several certified POTS replacement systems exist and they are not interchangeable, so we match the platform to your building, your carrier coverage, and what your inspector will accept.

This is why a twenty dollar analog adapter is not the answer. It works until the power blinks, the internet drops, or the fire marshal asks what the panel is dialing over. Your equipment sees the same analog line it always has. Same numbers, same wiring into the device.

Coverage at your address

We check which carrier is actually strongest at your building before we quote.

Built to the code cited

UL 864, NFPA 72, and ASME A17.1, with E911 on the correct registered address.

Diagram showing fire alarm panel, elevator phone and other analog devices connecting to a POTS replacement unit that sends signals to the central station over cellular, with wired internet shown as an optional second path

How a migration runs

Who we do this for

Businesses nationwide. Multi location retail and restaurants, property managers, medical and dental practices, churches and schools, manufacturing, hotels and multifamily. One site or several hundred.

Questions we get

Do I have to replace my fire alarm panel?

No. The panel stays and cannot tell the difference.

Can I keep my phone numbers?

Yes. They port over, which matters because alarm records and elevator tags reference them.

What happens in a power outage?

The equipment runs on battery through the outage. The line rides on cellular, so it keeps working even if your internet is down. We size the backup to what your inspector expects.

Which system do you sell?

We are not tied to one. We carry several certified platforms and recommend based on carrier coverage at your address and what your jurisdiction accepts.

What does it cost?

Depends on your line count and how many can share a device. Most businesses pay less than they do for copper, and copper rates climb every year. We price your actual line list first.

How long does it take?

A single location is usually a few weeks from inventory to disconnect.

I have not gotten a notice. Should I wait?

No. Move early and you pick the schedule instead of working around a shutoff date.

How many copper lines are you still paying for?

Book a free line survey. We come to you, go through your phone bill line by line, then look at your phone room and your panels so we can see where the lines actually terminate. You get a plan and a price, at no charge.

Business owner reviewing a phone bill to identify copper POTS lines