Core Concepts
POTS Lines (Plain Old Telephone Service)
By Myroslav Orshak · operates licensed carrier infrastructure · Updated September 2026
A POTS line (Plain Old Telephone Service) is a traditional analog phone line — a dedicated pair of copper wires carrying one phone number and one conversation, powered by the phone network itself.
How it works
A POTS line is the simplest thing in telecom: copper from your building to the phone company, carrying voice as an analog electrical signal. It needs no internet, no adapters, and no local power — the line itself carries enough electricity to run a basic phone, which is why old phones worked during blackouts.
That simplicity had a price structure to match: one line, one number, one call at a time, billed per line. An office that needed eight simultaneous calls bought eight physical lines. Features we now consider free — voicemail, caller ID, forwarding — were monthly add-ons on each one.
Why it matters
POTS lines are where phone budgets quietly bleed. Businesses keep paying for lines installed decades ago — often more lines than anyone still uses — at prices that rise every year precisely because the copper network is being retired around them. A line that cost $30 a decade ago commonly bills $65–100+ today, before long distance.
The complication is that a few devices were built to require them: elevator emergency phones, fire alarm panels, some medical alert units and older credit-card terminals. Those need a deliberate replacement plan (certified cellular or specialized analog-replacement services), while everything else — voice, fax, the lines nobody remembers ordering — moves to internet-based service and cuts the bill dramatically.
Remaining business POTS lines are commonly quoted at $50 to $100 or more per line per month, several times the cost of an internet-based line, and audits regularly find businesses paying for copper lines no longer connected to anything.
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See landline replacements compared →Frequently asked questions
Why is my POTS line bill going up every year?
Because the copper network is shrinking and its fixed maintenance costs are being spread across fewer and fewer customers. Regulators also loosened price rules on legacy business lines years ago. There is no version of this where the price comes back down — the economics only point one way.
Which devices actually still need a POTS line?
Check three categories: elevator emergency phones, fire alarm panels, and older medical alert or point-of-sale devices. Some are certified for analog lines only — though certified cellular and analog-replacement services now cover most of them. Everything else in a modern office, including fax, has an internet-based replacement that works better and costs less.
Do POTS lines really work during power outages?
A basic corded phone on a copper line usually keeps working, since the line carries its own power — the classic argument for keeping one. Weigh it honestly: an internet system forwards calls to your mobile phones during an outage, which keeps the business answering rather than keeping one handset alive in a dark office.
How do I get rid of POTS lines without breaking anything?
Inventory first: list every line on the bill and physically trace what each connects to — audits routinely find dead lines still billing. Port the voice numbers to your internet phone service, move fax to an email-based service, give alarm and elevator circuits certified replacements, and only then cancel the copper. Cancel first and you can lose the numbers.