PropTech and Security Systems – Definitions and Applications
June 3, 2024
For more than a century, Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) has supported critical communications infrastructure across the United States. Originally built on copper networks in the late 1800s, POTS evolved into a highly reliable backbone for not just voice communication, but also life-safety and security systems — including fire alarms, elevator phones, access control, and emergency call stations.
Today, that foundation is being permanently dismantled.
A major inflection point arrives in June 2026, when AT&T begins actively decommissioning copper infrastructure across roughly 500 wire centers nationwide. When a wire center is shut down, every POTS line connected to it is terminated—permanently. There is no call forwarding, no fallback, and no grace period. The line simply goes dark. Compounding the urgency, regulatory changes have reduced customer notification windows to as little as 90 days, compressing already tight upgrade timelines.
For commercial and institutional facilities, the consequences are immediate and significant. Once canceled, service will never be restored. Function will cease.
Many legacy systems still depend on POTS for signal transmission. Fire alarm panels often rely on analog dialers to communicate with central monitoring stations. Elevator emergency phones — required by code — depend on constant line availability. University “blue light” emergency call boxes and area-of-refuge systems face similar risks.
Less obvious — but equally critical — are gate and door access systems. Telephone-entry intercoms at secured doors, parking gates, and perimeter access points frequently use POTS lines to connect visitors to tenants or security desks. When those lines disappear, these systems can fail completely, leaving properties unsecured or inaccessible.
From Securitec’s perspective, the POTS sunset is not just a telecom issue — it’s a life-safety and operational continuity risk. Organizations must identify every analog dependency, from alarm panels to access control points, and transition to compliant IP or cellular-based communication pathways.
The copper shutdown is already underway. Facilities that delay risk system failures, failed inspections, and exposure to liability. The time to act is now.
