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Telcos Need Much Better CPE for PSTN to All-IP Transition

TMCnet Feature

July 16, 2013

Telcos Need Much Better CPE for PSTN to All-IP Transition

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By Doug Mohney
Contributing Editor

If you take more than thirty seconds to look at the migration from the switched (legacy) phone network to an all-IP network, there's a glaring problem in the works. The current generation of IP dial-tone delivery typically requires a 12 volt lead acid battery if the power goes out. For all the flaws of Ye Olde POTS, if the power in the neighborhood goes out, you still had service. Consumer-serviced battery power is the public safety weak link that isn't getting a lot of discussion in the mainstream press.


Verizon (News - Alert) has put on a full-court press to get customers to switch from copper-based service to fiber/IP FiOS or its wireless Voice Link service. Both FiOS and Voice Link are battery-dependent, but Verizon seems determined to steamroller the issue in order to get rid of copper. 

The FiOS (News - Alert) Optical Network Terminal (ONT) includes a 12 volt sealed lead acid battery backup battery able to provide basic voice service power for up to eight hours if the power goes out. But the customer is responsible for purchasing and replacing the battery, with the status of the battery able to be probed through the Verizon "Troubleshooter" web tool. Or you can have it covered under an additional cost service contract.

What's wrong with this picture? Look at the smoke detector in your house and compare it to the FiOS solution -- after all, both provide life safety. The smoke detector uses easy to find, off-the-shelf standard size batteries available at any supermarket or convenience store. I can't go down to Best Buy or Staples (News - Alert) or a Verizon Wireless store to get a 12 volt 7.2 Ah lead acid battery.   Did I mention disposal of the old battery? Verizon dumps that problem at your doorstep as well.

Smoke detectors are also "nice" enough to chirp when battery life gets low. It is not dependent upon running a diagnostic program -- assuming you remember to do that with all the other things you have to deal with during the day.

One might think that with all the network monitoring tools and sophistication available in the FiOS network, it might be possible for the device itself to run a weekly battery check. If the battery isn't up to spec, why not get a voice call, email and/or text message? A final warning would have the ONT generate a unique (and annoying) "chirp" ring to pester for battery replacement.

The State of New York has big concerns about Voice Link, since Verizon doesn't want to rebuild the copper-based infrastructure on Fire Island wiped out by Hurricane Sandy. Version 1.0 of Voice Link has a rechargeable battery enabling up to 2 hours of talk time and 36 hours of standby time. (And Voice Link doesn't support  monitored alarm security systems, fax machines, DVR services, credit card machines, or medical alert services, but that's another story).  

A next generation version of Voice Link may be able to use off-the-shelf AA batteries, according to one Verizon exec, with customers able to buy a pack of batteries down at the local Costco to keep the system up and running for a week.  He didn't say how or if customers currently being forced into Voice Link today would be able to swap equipment to something simpler.

In addition to off-the-shelf batteries and a "change me" mechanism, I'd like to see device manufacturers focus on lowering overall power requirements for voice service delivery. Lower stand-by and active power consumption extends battery life and opens the door for adding multiple ways to power/recharge the ONT. Is it too far-fetched to consider that solar power refresh/recharge should be an option for consumers?




Edited by Stefania Viscusi


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