The simple answer is YES.

For decades, the answer to elevator emergency communications was relatively simple: install a dedicated telephone line in the elevator and keep it active.

In most buildings, that meant a traditional copper telephone line, commonly called a POTS line, connected to the emergency phone inside the elevator cab.

Today, things are different.

Telephone carriers are moving away from aging copper infrastructure, traditional phone lines have become increasingly expensive to maintain, and cellular technology has become a practical alternative for many elevator communication systems.

That leaves California property owners and managers with an important question:

Does an elevator still need a dedicated phone line, or can the old copper line be replaced with cellular service?

The important distinction is between the emergency communication requirement and the technology used to provide that communication.

California Elevators Still Need Reliable Emergency Communication

Removing an old telephone line does not eliminate the need for emergency communication.

California’s Elevator Safety Orders require emergency systems for summoning assistance. Depending on the installation and applicable requirements, this can include a telephone or another means of two-way communication.

The California Department of Industrial Relations’ Elevator Safety Orders, for example, address telephones connected to a central telephone exchange as well as systems providing two-way conversation between the elevator and a location outside the hoist-way.

The purpose is straightforward: if someone becomes trapped or experiences an emergency inside an elevator, there needs to be a reliable way to request assistance.

What has changed is how that communication can be transported.

A Dedicated Elevator Phone Does Not Necessarily Mean a Dedicated Copper Line

This is where we see considerable confusion among building owners and property managers.

A building may have had the same copper telephone line connected to its elevator for 20 or 30 years. Because the line has always been there, it is easy to assume that the copper telephone network itself is part of the elevator requirement. It isn’t that simple.

The emergency communication system needs to perform correctly and satisfy the requirements applicable to that particular elevator and building. The underlying communications path does not necessarily have to remain an old-fashioned copper POTS connection.

A properly designed cellular solution can replace the traditional telephone network connection while allowing compatible existing elevator phone equipment to continue doing its job.

That is the basic idea behind our Mobile Connect 2 service at Destra Business Services.

How Does a Copper-to-Cellular Elevator Phone Conversion Work?

One of the advantages of a POTS-to-cellular conversion is that it does not necessarily require replacing the emergency telephone already installed in the elevator.

Instead, Mobile Connect 2 provides an interface between existing analog telephone equipment and a cellular network.

To the elevator phone, the connection behaves much like the telephone service it was originally designed to use. The equipment receives the dial tone and telephone interface it expects, while the outgoing communication is carried over the cellular network instead of the telephone company’s copper network.

This type of equipment is sometimes described as POTS-to-LTE, a POTS replacement, or even POTS in a Box.

Different names are used, but the basic concept is similar: replace the legacy telephone network connection while continuing to support equipment that was designed around an analog telephone line.

Why Are Property Managers Replacing Elevator POTS Lines?

Cost is certainly one reason.

Traditional analog telephone service can represent a surprisingly large recurring expense, particularly for a property with several elevators or multiple buildings.

But cost isn’t the only consideration.

Copper telephone infrastructure is getting older, and maintaining legacy service is becoming less attractive as telecommunications companies continue investing in newer network technologies.

That can create an unusual situation for property owners. The elevator itself may be perfectly serviceable. The emergency phone may also work perfectly well. The weak link can be the aging telephone connection serving it.

Replacing that connection with cellular service can provide a way to modernize the communications side without unnecessarily replacing functioning elevator equipment.

What Happens to the Dial Tone?

This is another question we hear regularly.

Traditional elevator phones were generally designed with the expectation that they would be connected to an analog telephone service. Simply disconnecting the copper pair and connecting wires to a cellular modem isn’t enough.

A POTS-to-cellular gateway such as Mobile Connect 2 creates the telephone interface needed by compatible analog equipment, including the dial tone expected by the connected device.

From the perspective of the elevator phone, it can continue operating much like it did when connected to conventional telephone service.

Behind that interface, however, the communication is being carried through a modern cellular network rather than through miles of aging telephone copper.

What About Power Failures?

Emergency communication systems deserve special attention when it comes to backup power.

An elevator phone that works perfectly during normal building operation isn’t very useful if its communication system immediately stops functioning when utility power is lost.

California’s Elevator Safety Orders include emergency-power provisions for certain elevator emergency communication arrangements. For example, Section 3041 specifies automatic transfer to emergency power for certain systems and requires the power source to support two-way conversation for four hours.

This is one of the reasons elevator communication should be treated differently from an ordinary office telephone or internet connection.

The goal isn’t simply to make a phone call. The goal is to maintain a dependable emergency communication path when someone may actually need it.

Can I Just Cancel the Old Elevator Phone Line?

We don’t recommend treating the conversion as simply canceling telephone service.

The better approach is to identify what equipment is currently installed, determine how the elevator’s emergency phone is communicating, confirm what requirements apply to the installation, and then establish the replacement communication path before discontinuing the existing service.

Every property isn’t identical.

The age of the elevator, existing communication equipment, building configuration, local requirements and other factors can affect what is appropriate for a particular installation.

The important part is maintaining a compliant and dependable emergency communication system throughout the transition.

You May Need the Elevator Phone, But Not the Old Phone Company Line

That’s ultimately the distinction property managers need to understand.

Elevator emergency communication remains important. What is becoming obsolete is the assumption that providing that communication requires maintaining an expensive traditional copper telephone line indefinitely.

At Destra Business Services, we help California property owners and managers convert legacy elevator telephone connections to cellular service using Mobile Connect 2.

In many applications, the existing elevator phone can remain in place while the aging POTS connection behind it is replaced with a modern cellular communication path.

For properties still paying for traditional elevator phone lines, this is a good time to review exactly what you’re paying for and whether those copper lines are still the best way to provide emergency communications.

Contact Destra Business Services to discuss your existing elevator phone system and find out whether Mobile Connect 2 is an appropriate replacement for your current POTS service.

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