Three Reasons Why POTS Is Still a Valuable Phone Service
Posted on: 30 January 2017
Out of all the possible ways you could telephone someone and all of the available telephone services, you might think that POTS no longer has a place in this world. POTS, which stands for "Plain Old Telephone Service," is telephone service delivered to your home via telephone wires and cables. While it is most certainly outdated, it is still a valuable telephone service. Here are three reasons why.
Cellular Signals Aren't Everywhere
No matter how far reaching your cell phone service might be, there are still many regions and areas in the U.S. where cell-phone service is non-existent. These dead zones make it impossible to make phone calls using your cell phone. Here, POTS reigns supreme because you can still get to a phone on the wall and use that to make a call. As Murphy's Law would have it, it is usually these areas where you will run into trouble, get hurt, and so forth, and then you will be very grateful for the nearest POTS phone.
Cable TV Lines, Internet, and Fiber Optics Are Not Everywhere Either
In addition to a lack of cellular towers and signals in many locations, there is a lack of cable TV lines, lack of Internet (except dial-up) and definitely a lack of fiber-optic lines. Since modern landline telephone services are often delivered via cable TV, Internet, and fiber-optic lines, these areas where they do not exist leave most people high and dry without a phone. If it were not for the POTS in these areas, many residents would not only not have a phone but also would not have their dial-up Internet.
Baby Boomers and the Elderly Still Use POTS
While many baby boomers have adapted to cell-phone use, many of them still use their POTS landlines. Their elderly parents use only POTS lines because often the elderly know how to use only these old-school phone systems. The majority of people in these generations may also be unwilling or unable to give up POTS lines and learn how to use cell phones. This could be a direct effect of aging and dementia or of the need to keep things as simple as possible. It is very possible that after the next thirty years, POTS will no longer be a telephone option, as all of the generations that grew up with POTS phones will have died or adapted to cell phones and other means of communication.
Talk to a company such as Dalton Utilities to learn more.
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