Landline telephones connected by copper telephone lines, operated by AT&T and the original Bell Telephone companies (so-called Plain Old Telephone Service, or POTS) used to be the primary 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).
One of the differences between POTS service and VOIP service relates to what happens when you experience a power outage in your home. Specifically, POTS service continued to function because it was powered by the telephone company’s central office. VOIP service, however, requires a battery back-up in the 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 cell phones for their voice (and other) services. Telephone companies (and cable TV companies that offer telephone service in addition to cable TV service) are in the process of migrating customers off traditional copper telephone service and onto modern coaxial and fiber-optic networks. Eventually POTS will be a relic of the past, having been replaced by VOIP and cellular voice services.