Ooma Inc., a communications platform for businesses and consumers, announced that TouchTone Communications, an integrated communications service provider, will offer Ooma AirDial for POTS replacement to TouchTone’s network of communications infrastructure providers, including those that support alarm and safety monitoring companies.

TouchTone’s partners, who provide communications services for central monitoring stations operated by alarm and emergency response companies, face a challenge: phasing out of legacy copper-wire phone lines, informally known as plain old telephone service or POTS. This threatens safety devices and business-critical systems that require a POTS line – ranging from fire alarm panels to elevator phones, fax machines, public safety phones, building access systems and more – and often can’t be migrated to internet-based connections.

Last year, the Federal Communications Commission lifted price caps and quality of service requirements for POTS carriers. The results are steep increases in monthly rates for POTS lines along with declining reliability and – in some instances – regional shutdowns of POTS access.

Ooma AirDial provides a turnkey replacement for POTS lines by combining the Ooma AirDial base station with virtual analog phone service and a data connection through a wireless network. AirDial deployments can be managed remotely through an online portal with automated alerts, reducing expensive “truck rolls” and lowering incident response time.

Learn more at www.ooma.com or www.ooma.ca in Canada.