Replacing Your Business Landline: A Simple Plan

Replacing your business landline is easiest when you do it on your own schedule: list every line on your phone bill, move the main numbers to a cloud phone system, turn the fax line into fax by email, and ask your alarm company about their options. December, budget season, is a good time to start.

What Is POTS Line Replacement?

It means swapping old copper landlines, known as POTS lines ("plain old telephone service"), for phone service that runs over the internet. Phone companies want out of copper. It is expensive to keep running, and the big companies want to replace it with fiber and wireless.

A year ago, AT&T said it is working to exit its copper network across most of the areas it serves by the end of 2029. We covered that in what to do if AT&T is ending your landline. Regulators are moving too: in July 2025 the FCC proposed rules that would make it easier for phone companies to retire copper.

None of this means your line goes dead next month. It does mean the notice you get may be shorter than you would like.

Which Lines Do You Need to Replace?

Most small businesses have more lines than they think. Pull your last phone bill and match each number to what it does. Look for:

• Main business lines. The numbers customers call.
• Fax lines. Often a separate number plugged into a machine in the back.
• Alarm and security lines. Many alarm panels still dial out over a phone line.
• Elevator emergency phones. If you own or manage a building, check this one.
• Credit card terminals. Older terminals may dial out over a phone line.
• Lines nobody can explain. These are common, and you may be able to cancel them.

Write down each number, what it does and what it costs each month.

What Replaces Each Kind of Line?

Main numbers can move to a cloud phone system and keep the same number. Moving a number to Telonium costs $10 per number one time, and you sign the form online. Check yours on our keep your business number page.

Fax lines can become virtual fax. Faxes arrive as PDFs by email, and you send them from email too. No machine, no toner, no copper line.

Alarm, elevator and card terminal lines need a conversation with the company that services that equipment. Many offer cellular or internet-based options. These lines can have safety or contract requirements, so do not cancel them until the replacement is installed and tested.

If you are still weighing the two kinds of service, our side-by-side look at landline or internet phone covers cost, equipment and what happens in an outage.

Why Not Wait?

Waiting feels free, but copper lines are often priced higher as fewer people use them, and repairs can take longer. If a shutdown notice arrives, you will be deciding in a hurry. Moving on your own schedule means you pick a quiet week, test everything and keep your numbers.

What Do You Get When You Move?

A cloud phone system does more than replace a dial tone. Telonium includes unlimited calling in the US (48 states) and parts of Canada, an auto attendant (the "press 1 for…" menu), schedules and holiday hours on each number, voicemail to email and call groups. You can answer your business number on a desk phone, your computer or your cell phone, over any high-speed internet, including your phone's cell signal (4G or 5G). It is $24.95 per user per month, plus taxes and fees, with one number included for every two users.

A Landline Replacement Plan for January

• Pull your phone bill and list every line.
• Mark each one: move, replace with virtual fax, talk to the vendor, or cancel.
• Call your alarm and equipment vendors about their alternatives.
• Check your main numbers on the keep your number page.
• Pick a move date in a slow week.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Keep My Business Number When I Drop My Landline?

In most cases, yes. The number moves to the new provider, and callers keep dialing the number they know.

Does Internet Phone Service Work If the Internet Goes Down?

Calls can still ring the app on cell phones over the cell signal, and a backup number catches calls if the system cannot reach your phones at all.

Should I Cancel My Alarm Line Myself?

Not until your alarm company has installed and tested a replacement. Call them first. If you want help sorting out your list, call us at 404-566-8888.