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AT&T to FCC - Kill the PSTN
AT&T has an answer to the FCC's questions about moving to an all-IP network: Kill the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and do it sooner rather than later so we can get on with it.
AT&T has asked the FCC to set a firm deadline much like the deadline given to television broadcasters to switch from analog to digital transmission so that telephone companies can stop supporting legacy voice systems and focus their efforts on building and supporting the new IP network. Since VoIP was the industry of the decade, this latest move could truly spell the end for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).
AT&T's language did not mince words: "with each passing day, more and more communications services migrate to broadband and IP-based services, leaving the PSTN and POTS as relics of a by-gone era." Ouch. Looks like what's next for IP-communications is that the VoIP industry will be the voice provider of the very near future.
For more:
- read this article from PCWorld
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Comments
Posted by Anonymous | January 4, 2010 - 2:37pm
Better the Govt. to force AT&T's customers into submission instead of them. Politics...
Posted by Anonymous | January 21, 2010 - 9:26am
Politics has nothing to do with it. Pstn is dead already... Someone just needs to give an official eulogy.
Posted by Anonymous | January 21, 2010 - 11:38am
The fact of the matter is their precious VOIP service is delivered over the same old copper cable as their pots service. Meaning it will be subject to some of the same problems. so for ATT to say that they could provide %100 broadband coverage if only they didnt have to maintain 2 networks is in my opinion intentionaly misleading. My dream scenario would be for one of the commisioners on the FCC to ask the question, "what network will you be maintaning for the braodband services?" the answer of course is that its the same network for the most part as the POTS network. But ATT is good at spinning answers if nothing else.
Posted by Anonymous | January 21, 2010 - 11:19pm
Ever since divestiture, all of at&t's "baby-bells" had to become self-sustaining and profitable on their own. That has caused each to look at cutting costs to help increase revenue. That lead to dogging technicians into more productivity at the expense of quality. Not enough time was or is given to techs to maintain the copper plant on which all the broadband is carried.
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