Why Retail Stores Need POTS Replacement

Service Providers have been saying for years that they want to turn off POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) lines because they are becoming increasingly unreliable and are expensive to maintain.  And they are really turning the screws on that now by increasing pricing (sometimes dramatically) or just giving notice that they will turn off the service in “x” months. 

If you are a retail store, or more accurately, a multi-location retail chain and don’t have a plan, now is the time to figure that out.   POTS lines, for retail stores, may be connected to an old fax machine, aging phones, POS systems, in elevators or in various alarms (such as fire alarms).  In a small store, you may only have 2 active analog lines.  In larger stores, there may be up to 16 active analog lines. 

So for you, there are two main reasons to address this now: 

1. Rising costs: As discussed above, SPs are increasing your costs.  You may not even know it. 
2. Regulatory compliance: Life-safety systems in schools (like fire alarms and elevator phones) must comply with regulations that are becoming harder to meet with obsolete POTS technology. 

Thankfully there are modern replacements that offer better reliability, lower costs, and enhanced functionality such as remote monitoring and real-time diagnostics, that are very cost effective and don’t involve ripping out the old endpoints. 

This is where are POTS replacement system comes in – it sits between the analog endpoints and connects to the modern communications infrastructure that Service Providers use now. 

Benefits of a POTS replacement system: 

1. Enhanced reliability: Modern connectivity technologies used, such as internet or LTE are designed for today’s needs and offer greater stability. 
2. Remote monitoring: New systems allow schools to monitor their lines remotely and receive alerts if a problem occurs, ensuring that emergency systems are working when needed. 
3. Regulatory: POTS replacement systems are compliant with the latest connectivity regulations. Schools can ensure their critical life-safety systems are reliable and compliant with current regulations. 
4. Cost-effectiveness

Clearspan offers POTS replacement systems that have been deployed in mid-size and very large-scale multi-location retail stores.