When is the industry going to wake up and smell the coffee? And here’s another overused phrase that’s equally pertinent—why do we keep beating a dead horse?
Yes, POTS is on the way out, in fact a recent television broadcast on NBC in Chicago by Bob Sirott said that cellular lines had finally eased past the installed base of POTS, no surprise there. We also know full well that VoIP has its challenges, depending the carrier and the priority they give the service in their network (you can read more about the fire side of this when Greg Kessinger tackles the issue in the September issue of SD&I magazine in his regular fire column.)
And believe you me, there are more technologies on their way out as well. GSM radio is going to ride into the sunset and there probably won’t be an actual sunset clause for that. And cellular, well, who knows about what will happen with that?
The risks and uncertainties go on and on. But why do we as an industry always sit back and wait? We have to get with all these carriers and tell them what we need to offer the best security solution to the customer. Suffice to say VoIP was not made for security signaling, so does it surprise you that we are having problems with it?
We have to take a stance and determine our own destiny. We can’t and should not be pushed around—after all we are providing security and life safety and it’s become a necessity for all. Together, we bring a strong voice to the industry so let’s shout out loud! – Deborah O’Mara, editor, SD&I magazine
