Keep your college campus running smoothly with a POTS replacement solution

American colleges and universities are some of the oldest institutions in the country. For example, Harvard was founded in 1636, Yale in 1701, Illinois State University in 1857 and the University of California in 1869.

These venerable institutes of learning include infrastructure in dire need of updates. When it comes to telecommunications, in particular, that means there’s plenty of copper wire connecting essential systems at colleges around the country.

Unfortunately, copper-based phone lines are getting more expensive to maintain and leaving many to wonder, “Are copper lines still working?” How can America’s educational institutions adapt? That’s where Ooma AirDial®, a POTS (plain old telephone service) line replacement solution, can save the day.

Why do college essential services need a POTS line replacement?

With their vast campuses and large student bodies, universities are basically little cities and communities. That means they need infrastructure to support a variety of essential communication services that depend on a reliable phone line.

If you’ve been on a college campus, you’ve likely seen those beacons of campus safety known as blue light emergency phones dotted across the landscape. These make it easy for college students to alert campus security when emergencies occur.

Campus security also relies on devices like fire alarm panels, elevator phones, and building entry systems, which can also run on copper-based phone lines.

Any one of these devices failing because of aging copper-wire phone lines is a potential disaster. Imagine a college student running to those emergency blue lights only to press the button and not get a signal, or students stuck in an elevator with no way to call the maintenance staff, or fire alarms not working because the copper line frayed. Students, parents and staff wouldn’t trust the university to keep them safe.

While campus safety is paramount, another reason to look for POTS line replacements is because phone bills are increasing at an alarming rate.

College copper-based phone line replacements

So, what can you do to keep elevators connected and life safety systems running smoothly at your college campus? The first option is to rip out all infrastructure that depends on copper lines and replace it with something shiny and new. The drawback is that it can be very expensive and require renovation work, especially on a big college campus.

Thankfully, Ooma has developed a solution that’s affordable and easy to set up. It’s AirDial, a turnkey solution for copper-based essential services. It runs on a secure and reliable wireless network and mimics a standard POTS line. Basically, it’s a digital connection designed to support legacy equipment. That means you don’t have to rip and replace all those emergency blue lines, elevator phone lines and fire alarm systems.

AirDial is a complete package that combines hardware, software and remote management with a wireless connection.

Benefits of a POTS replacement

The biggest benefit of AirDial is that it reduces the complications and complexity of replacing copper-based comms systems. It also has a battery backup that lasts up to 16 hours in emergencies and was developed with regulatory compliance in mind.

Ooma even has your back every step of the way, from assessment to installation, with hardware, data and phone service for a monthly charge that is much lower than traditional copper-wire phone service. AirDial also includes a handy remote device management portal. Take a look at how Ooma AirDial’s Remote Device Management puts you in charge.

Ditch the copper and make a stronger connection

The copper sunset may be making things more expensive and difficult, but there’s something you can do about it.

Ooma AirDial can help you keep critical emergency infrastructure working smoothly to help you ensure students, staff and guests are safe on campus. Find out how Ooma AirDial helped a residential complex manager dramatically lower his phone bill in this POTS line replacement story.