Landline telephones connected by copper telephone lines operated and maintained by AT&T and the original Bell Telephone Companies (so-called Plain Old Telephone Service, or POTS) used to be the only way we communicated over distances by voice. With the advent of new wireless and Internet technologies, landline phones and the old copper telephone network and POTS are being phased out and replaced by cellular telephones and voice services that convert analog voice to digital signals transmitted over the Internet via coaxial and fiber optic cables (so-called Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP).
In general, these new voice technologies offer many advantages over copper-based POTS service, but there are some disadvantages as well.
One of the differences between POTS service and VOIP service relates to what happens when you experience a power outage in your home.
Another difference between POTS service and VOIP service relates to how emergency services, accessed by dialing 911, work.
Due to the development and widespread use of cellular telephone technology and services (which are wireless and use radio frequencies to transmit your voice), many people no longer see the need for their old landline telephone and POTS service and instead rely on their cell phone for their voice (and other) services. Those that still want to have a “landline” phone that plugs into the wall can have those, but instead of the voice being transmitted over the old copper lines, it’s usually transmitted using coaxial and fiber optic cables, most often provided by companies like Verizon, Cox and Comcast who offer voice service in addition to cable TV/video services.