POTS Line Replacement: Deadlines, Options, and Costs

POTS lines are being retired across the industry. AT&T's June 2026 move to decommission copper in roughly 500 wire centers got the most attention, but it isn't an AT&T-only story, Verizon, CenturyLink (Lumen), Frontier, Consolidated Communications' Fidium, and other carriers are all retiring copper assets on their own schedules. The FCC's March 2026 order cleared the path to accelerate the process nationwide. If your business still runs phones, alarms, elevators, or fax lines on Plain Old Telephone Service, you have a migration to plan and depending on your provider, notice windows can be as short as 90 days.

This guide covers what's happening, what your replacement options actually cost, and how to choose the right one without overpaying or stranding a critical service.

What POTS lines are and why they're going away

POTS, Plain Old Telephone Service, is the analog phone system that's been running on copper wire for over a century. Reliable, simple, powered through the line itself. It also runs about 70% of the alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, fax machines, gate intercoms, and point-of-sale modems in commercial buildings.

The copper network supporting POTS is being shut down for three reasons:

• It costs more to maintain than it earns. Carriers have been losing money on copper infrastructure for years; the FCC has gradually removed the regulations that required them to keep it running.

• The technicians who service it are retiring. Replacement parts are scarce. Outages take longer to fix every year.

• The 2026 FCC order accelerated the shutdown. On March 26, 2026, the commission unanimously passed an order making it dramatically easier for carriers to retire copper lines, shortening notice periods and removing several customer-protection rules.
  

Translation: the question isn't whether you'll migrate. It's whether you'll choose your replacement or have one chosen for you under deadline pressure.

Which carriers are retiring POTS and when

This isn't a single-carrier story; it's an industry-wide shift on staggered timelines. A quick read on where the major players stand:

• AT&T — Began decommissioning copper in roughly 500 wire centers in June 2026, the most aggressive and most public schedule among the major carriers.

• Verizon — Has been retiring copper for over a decade, with continued migration to fiber inside their footprint and copper retirement notices going out on an ongoing basis.

• CenturyLink (Lumen) — Long-running copper retirement program, with capital focused on fiber and enterprise services rather than legacy copper plant.

• Frontier — Post-restructuring fiber expansion has accelerated copper retirement across their footprint.

• Consolidated Communications (Fidium) — Migrating customers to Fidium fiber where it's available, with copper retired on a regional schedule.

• Granite and other POTS aggregators — As wholesale POTS becomes more expensive and harder to source from the ILECs, aggregators that historically bundled multi-site copper service have shifted toward POTS replacement and managed migration offerings.
  

The practical implication: you can't predict your timeline from the news cycle. Your specific copper line is retired by your specific provider in your specific market on a schedule that may not match the headlines. If you haven't been notified yet, that doesn't mean you won't be soon and waiting for the notice compresses your decision window.

POTS line replacement options, compared

There are four common paths off copper. The right one depends on what the line is actually doing.

1. Hosted VoIP / UCaaS (for regular business phones)

If the POTS line is a standard business phone, the cleanest replacement is hosted Voice over IP, typically delivered as part of a UCaaS platform. Your existing numbers port over, calls run over your internet connection, and you get video meetings and team messaging in the same subscription. We cover the category in detail in our guide to what UCaaS is.

• Cost: $15–40 per user per month

• Best for: Standard voice lines, multi-line phone systems, multi-site businesses

• Watch for: Number portability timelines, e911 address registration, and bandwidth headroom on your internet circuit
  

2. POTS-in-a-Box / Wireless POTS replacement (for alarms, elevators, faxes)

For lines connected to alarm panels, elevator emergency phones, or analog fax machines, a managed wireless device, often called a POTS replacement or POTS-in-a-box, emulates the dial tone the device expects. The hardware connects over cellular or fixed wireless and presents an analog port the alarm panel plugs into. No reprogramming required.

• Cost: $35–75 per line per month, plus a one-time device fee

• Best for: Fire and burglar alarms, elevator phones, gate phones, fax machines, modems that need a dial tone

• Watch for: Cellular coverage at the install location, UL certification if it's a fire alarm line, and battery backup duration
  

3. SIP trunking (for businesses keeping their PBX)

If you still own a PBX you're not ready to retire, SIP trunking replaces the POTS lines feeding it with internet-delivered voice service. Same hardware, different dial tone. Useful as a bridge if your phone system has another two or three years of life.

• Cost: $15–30 per concurrent channel per month

• Best for: Businesses with a functional on-premise PBX they want to keep

• Watch for: PBX firmware compatibility and the SBC (Session Border Controller) requirement
  

4. Direct fiber or coax voice service (for single-line, low-tech use)

For a single voice line in a small site, your local cable or fiber provider can usually deliver a single business line over their network. It works, but it's rarely the cheapest or most flexible option for anything more complex than one phone.

• Cost: $40–80 per line per month

• Best for: Single-line locations with no growth plans

• Watch for: Long contracts and limited features
  

What POTS line replacement actually costs

Here's the surprise most buyers don't see coming: your new bill is almost always lower than your current POTS bill. Copper line pricing has climbed steadily as carriers wind down the network, many businesses now pay $80–150 per line per month for service they got at $30 a decade ago.

For a typical multi-site mid-market company, a complete migration off POTS usually lands in this range:

• Hardware and install: $200–600 per line, one-time

• Monthly service: 30–60% less than current POTS billing, on average

• Project timeline: Six to 14 weeks, depending on line count and complexity

The savings are real. The risk is that under deadline pressure, you sign with the first provider that calls, and you discover later that they didn't certify the alarm line for UL, or the cellular signal at your warehouse is too weak for the wireless device, or your number port took 11 weeks instead of three.

The migration plan, in five steps

1. Inventory every POTS line you have. Pull every phone bill from every site. Look for low-cost line items like alarm circuits and fax lines, those are the ones that get missed and stop working at midnight on cutover day.

2. Categorize each line by what it does. Voice for humans, alarm panel, elevator, fax, modem. Each category has a different right-fit replacement.

3. Confirm coverage and compatibility. Wireless POTS replacement needs cellular coverage. Hosted VoIP needs bandwidth. PBX SIP trunking needs a compatible PBX. Verify before you procure.

4. Run a real procurement. Get quotes from at least three providers, normalize the pricing on a per-line-per-month basis, and look at the contract terms, not just the monthly rate.

5. Plan the cutover with a rollback option. Port numbers in waves, keep the copper running until the replacement is proven, and don't cut a fire alarm line on a Friday.
   

This is also where an independent technology advisor changes the math. We work with 300+ vetted providers, including the regional wireless POTS replacement specialists most buyers never find, and we benchmark pricing across the network, typically saving clients 20%+ on the new monthly cost. As for how we get paid: we're compensated by the providers we place, at the same rate regardless of which one you select. That's what keeps the recommendation unbiased.

Frequently asked questions

When do POTS lines have to be replaced?

There's no single nationwide deadline, each carrier is retiring copper on its own timeline. AT&T began decommissioning copper in roughly 500 wire centers in June 2026; Verizon, CenturyLink (Lumen), Frontier, and Consolidated Communications (Fidium) have parallel retirement programs running. Notice periods can be as short as 90 days under the FCC's updated rules, so the practical answer is: as soon as your provider notifies you, but ideally before.

Can I keep my existing phone numbers?

Yes, in nearly every case. Number portability is a standard part of any voice replacement project, your existing numbers move to the new service with no change to callers.

What happens to my fire alarm if the POTS line is cut?

This is the single most important question to ask early. Fire alarm communicators must be replaced with a UL-certified solution, typically a cellular communicator listed for fire service. A general-purpose POTS replacement device may not meet code in your jurisdiction. Verify with your alarm provider and your AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) before you cut over.

Is wireless POTS replacement reliable enough for elevator phones?

Yes, when the device is properly specified and the cellular signal is strong at the install location. Most national elevator code requires the line to dial out successfully and connect to a monitoring station; quality replacement devices include tested signal strength and battery backup that meet or exceed those requirements. Site survey first.

How long does the migration take?

Six to 14 weeks for a typical multi-site business, driven mostly by number porting timelines and device installation scheduling. Larger or more complex projects (10+ sites, mixed line types) can take longer; single-site projects can be done in three to four weeks if there's no number porting.

The bottom line

POTS replacement isn't optional anymore, the copper network is being switched off on a deadline you don't control. The good news: your monthly cost almost always drops, and the replacement technology is mature. The risk is choosing under pressure without comparing options properly.

Need a vetted shortlist instead of a stack of sales decks? Book a discovery call and we'll inventory your lines, match each one to the right replacement, and benchmark quotes from three providers, at no cost to you.