If your business still has analog phone lines connected to things like fax machines, fire alarms, or elevator call systems, now is the time to take a serious look at your infrastructure. Traditional copper-based phone service, known as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), is on its way out. And the deadline to act is no longer someday.
As of October 15, 2025, AT&T officially stopped accepting new orders, moves, or changes for copper POTS lines in 19 states. This marks the beginning of a nationwide phase-out, and by 2029, nearly all copper infrastructure will be retired. Businesses still relying on these lines are already behind the curve, and at growing risk of service disruption.
Here are three key realities you can’t afford to ignore:
Legacy phone networks are being dismantled. Carriers have shifted their investments away from analog infrastructure and are rapidly sunsetting POTS across the U.S. The FCC’s 2019 ruling gave providers the ability to retire these services without offering direct replacements.
In many markets, copper lines are already unsupported, and when failures occur, there’s no one coming to fix them. For businesses with life safety systems or compliance-critical use cases, this is more than a headache. It’s a real liability.
If you haven’t received a shutoff notice yet, it’s only a matter of time.
What used to require a dedicated phone line and physical copper wiring can now be handled through more advanced and flexible technology:
These solutions don’t just replicate what POTS did, they improve on it. You get built-in redundancy, better uptime, and often, full remote visibility into your systems. Plus, in most cases, you’ll reduce your monthly spend significantly.
We’ve seen it time and again: a business waits until a line goes down or a notice arrives, then scrambles to deploy a replacement under pressure. This reactive approach usually means:
A proactive upgrade puts you in control. It gives you the time to compare options, vet providers, and deploy solutions with zero disruption.
TopSpin Tech is here to help businesses modernize before it’s too late.
At TopSpin Tech, we specialize in helping businesses retire their copper infrastructure the smart way. That means:
Whether you need to upgrade a few elevator lines or hundreds of legacy numbers across multiple sites, we make the process seamless.
Next Step: Let’s Assess Your Risk and Build a Transition Plan
Don’t wait until your lines go dark or your carrier gives notice. Schedule a quick assessment today, and let’s evaluate which lines you need to replace, what options are available, and how you can make the switch with minimal cost and zero surprises.
Your phone lines may be old, but your strategy doesn’t have to be.
Schedule a free consultation using the "book a meeting" at the top of this page