[SEDXC] OT- AT&T Sounds Death Knell for Plain Old Telephone Service

[Gregg W6IZT]

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AT&T Sounds Death Knell for Plain Old Telephone Service


The company that built out the original telephone network and ruled it as a
monopoly, AT&T, is asking the FCC to phase out the circuit-switched legacy
network and transition to broadband and IP-based communications.

"With each passing day, more and more communications services migrate to
broadband and IP-based services, leaving the public switched telephone
network ("PSTN") and plain-old telephone service ("POTS") as relics of a
by-gone era," the company wrote in comments filed with the FCC.

Congress has charged the FCC with creating a National Broadband Plan and
AT&T was commenting on that plan. The commission must martial its resources
to ensure the "necessary deployment of the enormous amount of infrastructure
necessary" for service to be available to 100 percent of the population,
according to AT&T.

"A key component of that strategy is the orderly transition away from, and
retirement of, the PSTN," AT&T wrote. "A smooth transition to an
all-broadband world is essential to attaining the goal of universal
broadband service."

The telecommunications firm also called on the FCC to structure the POTS be
phase out similar to the transitions to digital TV broadcasting and to
digital cellular services.

"Perhaps the single most important feature of Commission action at this time
is the establishment of a firm deadline at which point the transition will
be complete," AT&T wrote.

Wireless backhaul providers would benefit from getting rid of the
circuit-switched equipment. An efficient IP-based telephone system would
fall in line with the use of packet-switched traffic in the Internet and in
wireless systems, leading to increased backhaul traffic, according to Larry
Swasey, principal, Visant Strategies.

"Any positive move we make for the landline network to make it more
efficient would be a beautiful thing for backhaul providers, because it will
provide more traffic for them and allow them to streamline their product
lines," Swasey said.

AT&T noted that getting rid of POTS makes sense not only from a
technological standpoint but also from a business standpoint.

"While broadband usage . is growing every day, the business model for legacy
phone services is in a death spiral," according to AT&T. "Revenues from POTS
are plummeting as customers cut their landlines in favor of the convenience
and advanced features of wireless and VoIP services. At the same time, due
to the high fixed costs of providing POTS, every customer who abandons this
service raises the average cost-per-line to serve the remaining customers."

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