Customer Profile

• Private Ivy League university in New York City
• Large, multi-campus environment with academic, residential, and facilities buildings
• Legacy POTS lines supporting voice and life-safety systems
• Subject to strict New York State and local life-safety compliance requirements

The Challenge

As legacy carriers increased pricing and reduced support for copper-based services, the university faced rising costs and declining reliability across its POTS infrastructure. Maintaining a large number of copper lines across campus was no longer sustainable.

At the same time, not all POTS lines served the same function. Some supported standard voice services that no longer required analog connectivity, while others were tied to regulated life-safety systems where reliability and compliance were critical.

The university needed a solution that would:

• Reduce dependency on aging copper infrastructure
• Control escalating carrier costs
• Improve reliability for critical systems
• Maintain compliance with New York State and local life-safety codes
• Be delivered by a single, accountable partne

The Solution

ComTec Systems conducted a comprehensive audit of the existing POTS environment to determine the appropriate migration path for each line.

A hybrid modernization strategy was implemented:

• Standard voice POTS lines were converted to SIP for a more efficient and cost-effective communications method
• Life-safety systems (including elevator phones, fire panels, and emergency phones) were transitioned to ComTec’s iConnect LSPOTS™ POTS Replacement, purpose-built for regulated environments

The solution included:

• End-to-end project ownership, from planning through deployment, testing, and validation
• Carrier-agnostic POTS replacement architecture
• Multi-SIM, multi-carrier cellular resiliency using AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile
• Automatic carrier selection based on signal strength
• Seamless failover from copper to cellular during outages

The Results

• 28% reduction in prior POTS-related costs
• Copper infrastructure removed across multiple campus facilities
• Improved reliability and resiliency for life-safety systems
• Full compliance with New York State and local life-safety regulations
• Simplified management with a single accountable provider
• Scalable architecture to support future modernization initiatives

By separating standard voice from regulated life-safety requirements, ComTec delivered a solution that was more efficient, less expensive, and fully compliant—without compromising safety or operational continuity

Customer Quote

“This was not a simple replacement. ComTec understood the complexity of our environment and  delivered a solution we’re confident operating long term.”

— Technology Leader, Higher Education Institution