554 on CNN

[old_stuff_hound]

Saw an article on CNN today regarding AT&T selling off their phone book business and the future of landlines. I took a screenshot to show the photo they ran with the story. Not sure if someone thought that the photo would be a cool one to run with a story about phones, or if they were suggesting that landlines are as antiquated as rotary phones!

[twocvbloke]

We'll always need old fashioned POTS lines, you can't rely on mobile phones, or VOIP phones, or anything digital, one good wallop from the sun with solar mass ejections and they're all wiped out, yet old fashioned phone lines will still be somewhat operable (once they restore power to the blown-up AC powergrid (should be DC, not AC)), so they can't be left to disappear... 

After all, you need a POTS line for most forms of DSL and ADSL, so, yeah, they're not dead just yet...

[old_stuff_hound]

We'll always need old fashioned POTS lines, you can't rely on mobile phones, or VOIP phones, or anything digital, one good wallop from the sun with solar mass ejections and they're all wiped out, yet old fashioned phone lines will still be somewhat operable (once they restore power to the blown-up AC powergrid (should be DC, not AC)), so they can't be left to disappear... 

After all, you need a POTS line for most forms of DSL and ADSL, so, yeah, they're not dead just yet...

I'm with you 100%!

[Greg G.]

Here's the link to the article:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/10/technology/att-verizon-landlines/

According to some ads on ebay I've seen, 500 sets work when the power goes out!

[twocvbloke]

500 sets work when the power goes out!

Funny that....

I caught the mother using my GPO746 today, I guess the Motorolova cordless had failed...

[Phonesrfun]

According to some ads on ebay I've seen, 500 sets work when the power goes out!

Greg:

That assumes that the 500 is connected to a POTS line. 

[canuckphoneguy]

I don't think landlines will ever go away. Many people have their internet through their landline (like I do). I also don't own a cell phone and never will, and there's lots more people out there like me. 

[Greg G.]

According to some ads on ebay I've seen, 500 sets work when the power goes out!

Greg:

That assumes that the 500 is connected to a POTS line.  

I realize that, but many sellers don't.  They think it's the phone itself that keeps working.  Hooked up to a telephone modem, they will NOT work if the power goes out or you lose your internet connection.

[Dan/Panther]

Doesn't the phone company supply it's own power, maybe they had the foresight to protect it.
D/P

[Greg G.]

Doesn't the phone company supply it's own power, maybe they had the foresight to protect it.
D/P

The Bell System used to, that's why many non-collector sellers think the phones are self-powered.  Not so sure about the hodge-podge systems we have now.  When I had a telephone modem with my cable (Comcast), I lost my phone use whenever the internet connection went down, that's why I went to POTS.  And even with POTS, I've heard that due to something-or-other that they use nowadays can kill your phone service when the power goes down.

[deedubya3800]

Our local rural telecom co-op is in the process of changing all its copper to fiber. The ONTs they're installing will draw their power from the mains at the premises, but will be equipped with backup batteries for power outages. Are we seeing a return to local-battery telephone service? I'm also told the ONTs will support pulse dialling and RENs of at least 6.

[twocvbloke]

I'm glad us brits are "backwards"with our phone technology, no ATAs for us just yet, just pure line current right from the exchange...

That said, if you have your phone system, ATA & modem and whatnot connected to a UPS, would that mean you're running an LB service??




EDIT:
Dunno where the "L" in "LB" went....

[warpwr]

Doesn't the phone company supply it's own power, maybe they had the foresight to protect it.
D/P

All telephone central office's still have 48V DC battery plants to run the switching equipment.
Even the cellular companies have these plants.

Every telephone central office has emergency or standby AC generators to keep the 48V batteries charged during a commercial power failure.

Years ago they could have had 24V and 130V battery plants as well (microwave sites had 12V and 250V plants, No. 4ESS toll office's have +140V battery plants).

Ringing voltage comes from a ring plant which has a redundant AC and DC system and includes dial tone, although with modern systems many of the tones are electronic rather than from a ring generator.

All of the equipment, at least in the Bell System up until 1984, was backward compatible so that dial pulse worked with electronic switching for example.  Panel, Step x Step and Crossbar switching would work alongside 5ESS and so on.

But it all required DC voltage and still does.

[AE_Collector]

It is the increasing number of remote switches off of the large CO's that can cause trouble in power outages. All that I have seen DO have battery plants but they may only last for 12 or maybe 24 hours before generators are needed. All of these small remotes DO NOT have generators. The idea is to bring a generator to the site (in a long power outage) to recharge the batteries and then move the generator on to the next remote site to do the same. I wonder if the telco's really will have enough generators available in a wide spread long outage. Probably not.

But on the other hand, your phone service would already have failed long ago if you only have a cordless phone, have cable phone service, use any sort of ATA for service, have VOIP service or have fiber to the home.

Terry

[old_stuff_hound]

Our local rural telecom co-op is in the process of changing all its copper to fiber. The ONTs they're installing will draw their power from the mains at the premises, but will be equipped with backup batteries for power outages. Are we seeing a return to local-battery telephone service? I'm also told the ONTs will support pulse dialling and RENs of at least 6.

I'd be interested in seeing a photo of your ONT when you get it....