It’s Happening – Phone Lines Are Going Away…Really!
It’s Time to Cut the Cord… and Rely on Meshwrx for Your Fire Alarm Monitoring Systems.
Hard-wired telephone landlines have been around for more than 100 years. In fact, they are referred to as “P.O.T.S.” lines which stands for Plain Old Telephone Service. As their name suggests, they are old and outdated. Originally designed for telephone communication, they do not meet today’s needs for our data-driven communication technologies.
Deteriorating Landline Infrastructure
Phones aren’t going away, but the landlines used to support them are. The voice communication technology being used today is significantly different from the early copper telephone lines implemented by Bell Technology Company. New technologies such as high-speed internet connections via cable, VOIP, mobile phone networks, and fiber-optic cabling are replacing the outdated, inefficient copper phone lines of the past.
When in it comes to phone service, more than half of all families—57.1 percent of the population—no longer have landline phones. Households that have both landlines and wireless phone service total 34.4 percent, and only 5.3 percent of households have only landline phone service1.
As fewer people rely on landlines, the existing providers do not have the income from subscribers to support and maintain the existing infrastructure. The FCC has approved both AT&T and Verizon to end landline phone maintenance service altogether. In a 2013 letter to shareholders, AT&T announced its efforts to phase out landline phone service2. At that point, it was estimated that the total expenditure by phone companies to maintain lines was $13.5 billion3 per year.
Landline service deregulation has been spreading. In 2017, pending the FCC’s approval, Illinois legislators voted to allow AT&T to disconnect the state’s 1.2 million landline customers, but Illinois is not the only state where deregulation is happening. All across the country legislators “have voted to allow AT&T to end landline service in order to invest more in wireless or internet-based phone networks,” according to CBS News4.
All of these changes are taking place in the telephone industry yet when it comes to fire alarm monitoring, more than 90% of all fire alarm monitoring systems still rely on these outdated phone lines to communicate with call centers. Building Owners and Property Managers are spending too much on outdated, expensive and unreliable technologies. It’s only a matter of time before all building owners will be forced to find an alternative solution.
What is the Alternative?
Mesh Radio Technology is a great alternative to replace these outdated phone lines on existing fire alarm monitoring systems. Mesh Radio Technology is not a new technology. Originally developed for the military, mesh technology has been used in fire alarm monitoring systems for more than 30 years. It’s the only technology specifically designed for Fire & Life Safety systems and has proven to be a better and more reliable service. It is also extremely cost-efficient.
Consumer adoption to new technologies is rapidly growing leaving landlines as a thing of the past and MeshWrx is here to help you cut the cords.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Be proactive and upgrade to MeshWrx today for your fire alarm monitoring systems.
