ICLE Research Cited in Facilities Dive on Copper Network Phase-Out
Facilities Dive cited ICLE research in a piece on the challenges facility managers face as telecoms retire legacy copper POTS networks. The article drew on ICLE’s analysis of why carriers are accelerating the transition away from copper, citing the growing cost burden of maintaining aging infrastructure for a shrinking subscriber base. The underlying research was conducted by Eric Fruits and Brian Albrecht.
Read the full piece here. Read the ICLE analysis here.
The telecoms want to get rid of their copper lines because they’re expensive to maintain and customers have shown a preference for alternative types of connectivity, according to an analysis by the International Center for Law and Economics. “Americans have largely abandoned landlines,” the analysis says.
For the carriers, the cost of maintaining the copper lines has become exorbitant, the analysis says. “It materially drains [their] revenue,” it says. “AT&T reported spending about $6 billion in 2023 — roughly 5% of total revenue — to keep its copper network operating.”