Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to commonly asked questions about our products and services.
When are POTS phone lines expected to be phased out?
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) copper lines, which have been the backbone of traditional telecommunication for decades, are being phased out due to advancements in digital technology. Many service providers are moving towards more modern and efficient communication infrastructures, rendering POTS lines become obsolete in the coming years.
What options to I have for POTS Replacement?
You can “Rip and Replace” your cellular lines or rely on Cellular Dialers to replace your POTS lines, but both of these options are labor-intensive, expensive, and unreliable. Instead, opt for a digital solution such as MarketSpark’s M2 + Command Center that is redundant, compliant, and cost-effective.
What are the main challenges faced by businesses still using POTS lines?
Businesses that continue to use POTS lines often face issues such as limited scalability, higher maintenance costs, and outdated infrastructure. Additionally, as service providers prioritize newer technologies, support and availability for POTS will become limited, leading to service disruptions.
How can transitioning from POTS benefit my business operations?
Transitioning from POTS to a modern solution like the M2 + Command Center can offer numerous benefits. These include improved call quality, enhanced features like video conferencing and voicemail-to-email, cost savings, better scalability, and integration with other digital tools and platforms. The MarketSpark M2 + Command Center is constantly adapting and upgrading to meet the ever-evolving needs of businesses.
How do POTS replacement solutions integrate with current communication infrastructures?
Most POTS replacement solutions are designed to seamlessly integrate with existing communication infrastructures. This ensures a smooth transition with minimal disruptions. Solutions like VoIP can work alongside current internet setups, and cloud-based platforms often offer easy integration with business applications and tools, enhancing overall communication efficiency.
What carriers do you support?
All the major telecom carriers: Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Century Link, etc
What types of lines do you replace?
MarketSpark specializes in replacing life safety systems like fire alarms, security systems, elevators, call boxes, POS systems, fax and voice. But we not only replace lines we help with new builds by setting up new locations with wireless from the get go.
Can you handle any number of locations or lines?
Yes. We currently have clients with thousands of locations and tens of thousands of lines across the entire country. We were purpose built to scale for enterprises.
Are POTS line replacement solutions “plug and play?”
Wireless is a superior solution to wireline for redundancy, lower cost and future proofing but anyone who tells you POTS over LTE is “plug and play” is not being transparent with you. There are a multitude of factors that need to be consider in order to deliver a viable solution including signal strength, peripheral communication protocols and inside wiring. MarketSpark focuses exclusively on POTS over LTE solutions so we’ve developed an industry-leading use case library to insure we have a solution to address your unique requirements.
What does it mean to be a managed service?
Unlike other vendors, MarketSpark takes care of everything. There are no upfront costs, all hardware, software and 24/7 service and support is included in one low cost.
Does MarketSpark handle all my billing?
Yes. For clients with locations across the country requiring multiple carriers, MarketSpark becomes your single vendor managing all your lines across all carriers.
Is MarketSpark an MFVN provider?
Yes, MarketSpark is a managed facilities-based voice network (MFVN) provider that delivers traditional telephone service via a loop start analog telephone interface. MFVNs are interconnected with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and provide dial tone to end users. We provide customer premises equipment (CPE) that provide POTS Replacement solutions.
MarketSpark is responsible for the following:
(a) Manage and maintain their network to ensure end-to-end service quality and reliability from the service subscriber location to the PSTN or other MFVN peer network
(b) Provide a service that is functionally equivalent to traditional analog phone service with respect to dialing, dial plan, call completion, carriage of voice signals and protocols, and loop voltage treatment
(c) Provide real-time transmission of voice signals that carry FAX, data, Point of Sale (POS), burglar alarm and fire alarm system formats unchanged
(d) Provide both professional installation and subscriber information.
(e) Have major and minor disaster recovery plans to address both individual customer outages and widespread events.
How long will it take for the device to be installed after I submit my order?
MarketSpark offers the ability to expedite urgent orders and deliver our solution to accommodate immediate and emergency needs. Single orders are fulfilled within a couple of weeks. Ramp plans utilize a five-week fulfillment & installation approach with installs completing throughout the fifth week.
How long does it take for your technicians to install the device?
Standard scope of work for installation without cutover is 90 minutes. Installations with cutover include 150 preapproved minutes.
What if I don’t know how many POTS lines I am currently using?
Leveraging recent invoices and customer service records (CSRs) will help our sales team match you with the best solution for your needs, but site surveys are also available providing the opportunity to audit existing infrastructure and reduce costs by simply eliminating lines that are no longer needed.
Can POTS lines be replaced if they have already been decommissioned or disconnected?
Lines that are no longer in service are more difficult to identify, but our technicians can assist with new inside wiring from our solution to bring your devices back online while also updating old and outdated infrastructure.
My building has terrible cell service. Will this device even work?
MarketSpark technicians will always test for signal strength and quality before mounting the device. The device can be moved to maximize signal potential, antennas can be installed to improve signal, or the device can be connected directly to a local network.
My team has limited bandwidth. Are these rollouts labor-intensive?
Ramp plans will be built around our customers’ preferred velocity, but our installs will require very little involvement on the day of installation. Completing the site information template as early as possible alleviates most of the common scope creep.
My team has limited bandwidth. Are these rollouts labor-intensive?
Ramp plans will be built around our customers’ preferred velocity, but our installs will require very little involvement on the day of installation. Completing the site information template as early as possible alleviates most of the common scope creep.
Still Have Questions?
Reach out to our team.