According to the National Elevator Industry, the U.S. is home to about 900,000 elevators, which transport people about 2.5 billion miles annually.
Since elevators take so many trips up and down within buildings, they’re bound to break down occasionally. This explains why they’ve long been equipped with plain old telephone service (POTS) lines. They provide people with traditional landline phone systems in elevators so they can make calls in case of emergencies.
Is it time to replace POTS line setups in your elevators with more modern cellular elevator phone solutions? Several signs will suggest you should consider replacing them soon. Take a look at three of them below.
1. You’re Paying Too Much for the POTS Lines in Your Elevators
Even though POTS lines are the simplest communication systems found in elevators, they can cost a lot of money to use and, more importantly, to maintain over time. Many telecom companies have increased the costs associated with utilizing POTS lines, and companies that work on them have also increased their maintenance costs.
Of course, you will need to pay to replace POTS line setups in your elevators to remain in accordance with the ASME Elevator Code. However, this initial investment will pay for itself over time once you see how much more cost-effective digital systems, such as Voice over Internet Protocol systems, are. VoIP can provide improved call quality and other advanced features, like better security, at a fraction of the cost of POTS lines.
2. You Can’t Rely On the Copper Wires for the POTS Lines in Your Elevators
Once upon a time, the copper wires used to create POTS lines in elevators were state-of-the-art. But in 2024, they’re an outdated form of communications technology.
These wires can easily be disrupted by everything from construction in your building to bad weather, knocking out the POTS lines for your elevators when you need them most.
You won’t have to worry about encountering this problem when you replace POTS line setups with digital systems. They’ll provide you with increased reliability and eliminate the unnecessary downtime that can come with using POTS lines in elevators.
3. You Want To Abide By the FCC’s Latest Elevator POTS Line Mandates
FCC mandates announced in 2018 regarding POTS lines called for telecom companies to start phasing out these traditional landline phone systems in favor of digital voice solutions, like VoIP. It’s a big part of why many companies have started increasing prices for those who use POTS lines for elevators.
By taking the time to replace POTS line setups, you ensure your elevators comply with the FCC’s latest mandates. This could help shield your company from future POTS line price increases.
Contact Us To Replace the POTS Lines in Your Elevators
Have you decided it’s time to replace POTS line setups in your elevators? Using our digital solutions, ELEVATE Monitoring can help install a dedicated phone line in your elevators. Call us at 877-990-9191 to begin modernizing your elevators.
