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Replacing copper phone lines (POTS) for fire alarms, elevators and fax: a 2026 guide for businesses

Copper phone lines are being retired. What 2026 FCC rules, carrier plans, NFPA 72 and elevator codes mean for your fire alarm, elevator, fax and card lines.

By GBTech.ai · Published · Last reviewed

The short answer

Copper phone lines, often called POTS lines ("plain old telephone service"), are being retired one area at a time across the U.S.:

  • In 2026, the FCC made it easier for carriers to retire copper and stop offering legacy landline service. Its new notice and discontinuance rules took effect on October 15, 2026.
  • Verizon has posted 2026 copper retirement notices for wire centers in at least 20 states. AT&T expects to stop providing copper-based services across the vast majority of its footprint by the end of 2029.

Nothing shuts off overnight. Verizon says copper service won't be disconnected until an FCC-approved replacement service is available at your location, and AT&T has pledged that no customer will lose access to voice or 911 service.

If a fire alarm, elevator phone, security alarm, fax machine or card terminal in your building still runs on a copper line, plan the switch now. The FCC no longer requires carriers' replacement services to work with alarm equipment, so checking that falls to you. Changing how a fire alarm reports also involves your alarm company and your local fire marshal or authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), who decides what is accepted.

What's happening to copper lines

The FCC has made copper retirement easier. In an order adopted March 26, 2026 (FCC 26-19), the FCC:

  • removed its own filing and objection steps for copper retirement notices (carriers still have to post notice and tell other carriers, including 911 providers)
  • set applications to discontinue a service to be granted automatically after 31 days unless the FCC acts
  • let carriers stop selling legacy voice service to new customers
  • said federal law overrides state and local rules to the extent they needlessly get in the way of carriers discontinuing legacy services and retiring old networks

Carriers must still tell affected customers about an application to discontinue service no later than the day they file it, and customers can file comments or objections with the FCC.

The changes to the notice and discontinuance rules took effect on October 15, 2026. The order is being challenged in court. Petitions for review have been filed, including one from the California Public Utilities Commission, and in May 2026 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was chosen to hear them together.

Alarm compatibility is now your job. A 2016 FCC rule required replacement services to work with alarm and medical devices. In its 2026 order, the FCC noted that this rule "sunset in 2025." It also declined to add the alarm-compatibility condition the alarm industry asked for, and only encouraged carriers to prevent alarm signaling failures.

What Verizon is doing.

  • Verizon lists its copper retirement notices on its public network disclosures page. In 2026 it has posted notices for wire centers in at least 20 states.
  • Its notices say Verizon "may require customers ... to migrate services off of copper facilities well before" the retirement date. Check the notice for your area.
  • Verizon, including its Frontier companies, has also asked the FCC for permission to stop offering legacy TDM-based voice service, the traditional landline service, to homes and businesses. One application covers former Frontier service areas in eight states, with an earliest date of November 16, 2026. Another, filed August 10, 2026, covers parts of nine states.
  • On September 25, 2026, the FCC took that August application off automatic approval for more review, calling this "not a final determination on the merits."

What Verizon says about replacements. On its copper transition page, which is written mainly for home customers, Verizon says service won't be disconnected until an FCC-approved replacement service is available at your location. Options include fiber or wireless service, and Verizon says equipment for its fiber and fixed wireless replacements includes battery backup. It also says these replacements support "many legacy alarm systems, faxes, and many medical devices." Many isn't all, so test yours.

What AT&T is doing. At its December 2024 investor day, AT&T said it expects to stop providing copper-based services across the vast majority of its footprint by the end of 2029. It said then that California wasn't included in those plans. In 2026, though, AT&T asked the FCC for permission to stop offering legacy business and residential voice service in parts of 360 California wire centers, on or after June 1, 2027. AT&T also pledged that no customer will lose access to voice or 911 service during the change.

If your lines come from another phone company, ask it for its plans and watch your mail for notices.

Prices are rising in some places. For example, in Pennsylvania, Verizon raised business dial-tone line prices by $2 a month from January 1, 2026. Verizon North raised its business line there from $25 to $27 a month on March 1, 2026, before usage charges, taxes and fees.

Outside the U.S. The same shift is happening elsewhere, on different timelines. In the UK, Openreach says the old phone network (the PSTN) will be retired on January 31, 2027, with no extension. Openreach and the UK government both list lifts and payment terminals among the business systems that could be affected. If you have sites abroad, ask your local provider for its dates.

What in your building may still use a copper line

  • Fire alarm panel communicators (dialers)
  • Elevator emergency phones
  • Burglar and security alarms
  • Fax machines
  • Credit card terminals and point-of-sale systems
  • Gate and door entry systems

To find them, look for lines on your phone bill that nobody makes calls from. Also ask your alarm company and your elevator service company which lines their equipment uses.

Rules for fire alarm lines

NFPA 72, the national fire alarm code, governs how a fire alarm panel reports to its monitoring center.

Communication paths.

  • The 2007 edition required a digital alarm communicator (DACT) to have two means of transmission, with a phone line as the primary one.
  • From the 2013 edition on, it's one phone line plus a different path, such as radio, cellular or IP. A second phone line is allowed only as an exception approved by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), which is usually your fire marshal or fire official.
  • The 2019 edition says a single communication path must be checked at least every 60 minutes. With two paths, each must be checked every 6 hours, and they can't share a single point of failure.
  • The 2025 edition keeps this, and allows two channels from a "managed facilities-based voice network" (MFVN), the kind of service many copper replacements use.

Which edition applies to your building depends on when your system was installed and what your local fire marshal or AHJ enforces. Ask before you change anything.

Battery backup.

  • NFPA 72 requires a fire alarm panel to run for 24 hours on standby plus 5 minutes in alarm.
  • Under the 2013 edition, on-site communications equipment that the alarm shares needs 24 hours of backup. It can be 8 hours only if the AHJ accepts it.

Your fire marshal or AHJ decides what's required for your building.

Permits, forms and inspections. Before a fire alarm communicator moves off a copper line, ask your local fire marshal or AHJ whether you need a permit, a form or an inspection. Have your licensed alarm company retest signals to the central station after the switch, and keep the results.

Don't assume VoIP will work. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal, for example, advises against using VoIP for fire alarm signals, because compression can alter them. An ordinary VoIP adapter isn't a safe default for a fire alarm.

Rules for elevator phones

ASME A17.1, the elevator safety code, requires an emergency phone that:

  • connects to a staffed location
  • doesn't use automated answering
  • reroutes the call if it isn't answered within 45 seconds

Editions from 2019 on add visual communication, such as video and text messaging. That matters when elevators are installed or modernized, so ask your elevator contractor what applies to yours.

A commonly cited backup requirement for elevator phone lines is four hours of standby power. Local codes can add more. In New York City, for example, the building code requires the phone line, or its equivalent, to be checked automatically at least once a day, with an alarm if it fails.

If you're also moving your regular phone lines

If you move everyday calling to a cloud phone system at the same time, two federal rules apply to multi-line phone systems:

  • Kari's Law (systems installed after February 16, 2020): people must be able to dial 911 directly, and someone on site must be notified when they do.
  • RAY BAUM'S Act: the system must send a "dispatchable location," such as the building, floor and suite.

Your replacement options

1. POTS-replacement services. A device on site keeps your existing equipment's phone jack working and carries the calls over cellular networks, and sometimes your internet connection, on a managed voice network. Examples include Ooma AirDial and Granite's EPIK. Look for:

  • battery backup that meets your fire marshal's or AHJ's requirement
  • more than one network path
  • listings and approvals your fire marshal or AHJ accepts

2. Cellular fire alarm communicators. A radio module added to the fire panel that reports over cellular. One example is Napco's StarLink Fire Max 2, which Napco describes as a UL 864-listed communicator that can run as a single cellular path or as a dual path. Whether a single cellular path is accepted depends on your fire marshal or AHJ.

3. Fiber or cable voice from a carrier. This means your phone company's replacement service or a cable provider's voice line. It works for many devices, but confirm alarm compatibility first.

4. A cloud phone system for everyday calling. Your regular business lines can move to a system like Zoom Phone, RingCentral, Dialpad or Vonage. Keep the alarm, elevator and fax lines on a service built for them.

About Ooma AirDial

Ooma AirDial is one of the POTS-replacement services we compare, so here's what Ooma says about it:

  • It combines hardware, LTE data and phone service in one package.
  • Its MultiPath feature sends voice over LTE and Ethernet at the same time.
  • It has four analog ports and two SIMs, and runs on a managed facilities-based voice network.
  • Ooma lists more than 48 hours of battery standby, or more than 82 hours with the optional external battery.
  • It supports fire alarms, elevator phones, security alarms, fax, point-of-sale terminals and gate entry.
  • Ooma says it's certified with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and UScellular.

Ooma also says an independent third-party testing firm certified AirDial to UL 864, UL 2054 and UL 62368-1, and that it has a California State Fire Marshal listing and an FDNY record. As with any option, confirm with your fire marshal or AHJ and your alarm company that it meets the requirements for your building.

How to switch, step by step

  1. List every copper line and what it serves. Your phone bill and your alarm and elevator companies can help.
  2. Talk to your alarm company and monitoring center before changing anything on a fire or security alarm line.
  3. Ask your local fire marshal or AHJ what's required, including any permit, form or inspection for moving a fire alarm communicator off copper.
  4. Check elevator phones with your elevator contractor.
  5. Choose the replacement, and confirm its battery backup meets the requirement for each system.
  6. Test end to end. For fire alarms, check line seizure and that alarm, trouble and supervisory signals reach the central station. Check that the elevator phone calls through and passes its line check. Check fax and card terminals too.
  7. Keep records of permits, forms, test results and approvals.
  8. Start early. Carriers can ask you to move before the retirement date in their notice.

How GBTech can help

GBTech is vendor-agnostic, and we work with businesses across the U.S. and internationally. We can help you:

  • list the copper lines in your buildings
  • compare replacement options and carriers
  • manage the rollout with you

We compare Verizon Business, Spectrum Business, Comcast Business, Optimum Business and Lumen for connectivity, and Zoom, RingCentral, Dialpad, Vonage and Ooma AirDial for phone service. Changes to a fire alarm system itself must be made by a licensed alarm company.

See Ooma AirDial, compare phone systems or talk to an advisor.

Frequently asked questions

Is our copper line going away, and when?

It depends on your carrier and your area. Carriers retire copper one wire center at a time and post notices first. Verizon lists its notices on its network disclosures page and can ask customers to move before the retirement date. AT&T expects to stop providing copper-based services across the vast majority of its footprint by the end of 2029. Verizon says copper service won't be disconnected until an FCC-approved replacement service is available at your location.

Can our fire alarm use our VoIP phone system or an adapter?

Not by default. Fire officials have warned that VoIP compression can alter alarm signals. Use equipment your alarm company and fire marshal or AHJ approve for fire alarm communication.

Is cellular-only fire alarm monitoring allowed?

It depends on the NFPA 72 edition your local fire marshal or AHJ enforces and on their approval. Newer editions allow a single communication path in some setups if it's checked often, but ask first.

Who has to approve the switch?

For fire alarms, your alarm company, your monitoring center and your local fire marshal or AHJ, who may require a permit, a form or an inspection. For elevator phones, check with your elevator contractor.

Do our elevator phones need video or text?

Editions of the elevator code from 2019 on add visual communication. That usually comes up when elevators are installed or modernized, so ask your elevator contractor.

How much battery backup do we need?

Your fire marshal or AHJ decides. NFPA 72 requires 24 hours of standby plus 5 minutes of alarm for the fire alarm panel. Under the 2013 edition, shared on-site communications equipment needs 24 hours, or 8 hours if the AHJ accepts it. Four hours is commonly cited for elevator phones.

Will our fax machine, card terminals and gate entry still work?

Usually, on a POTS-replacement service, but test each one before you cancel the copper line.

We have offices outside the U.S. Does this apply there?

The U.S. rules don't, but the same shift is happening elsewhere. In the UK, for example, Openreach says the old phone network will be retired on January 31, 2027. Ask your local provider for its dates and test alarms, lift phones and card terminals the same way.

Will switching save money?

Sometimes. In Pennsylvania, for example, some Verizon copper business lines now cost $27 a month before usage, taxes and fees, and prices have been rising. Compare the full cost of each option, including equipment and battery requirements, before you decide.

Sources

FCC and courts:

Carriers:

Outside the U.S.:

Codes and guidance:

Products:

Questions about your setup? Talk to an advisor.

Talk to an advisorSee Ooma AirDial →