As the telecommunications industry transitions from traditional POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) to digital solutions, fax communication remains a critical tool for businesses. However, the gradual POTS replacement and PSTN phase-out demand modern, reliable alternatives for fax transmission.

While T.38 has been developed to facilitate fax transmission over IP networks, it remains an unreliable method.

The Limitations of T.38

T.38, designed as a real-time fax-over-IP protocol, struggles to maintain stability in suboptimal network conditions.

Fax transmissions are inherently sensitive to delays and data loss, requiring precise timing and error-free packet delivery. In VoIP deployments, especially those with low-quality internet links or fluctuating bandwidth, T.38 often fails to guarantee end-to-end reliability. This results in incomplete faxes, corrupted documents, or repeated transmission attempts—critical pain points for sectors like healthcare and finance.

POTS Media SBC and G.711: Bridging Reliability Gaps

To address the challenges of POTS replacement, Vola introduced POTS Media SBC as intermediaries between legacy fax devices and cloud-based communication platforms. Instead of relying solely on T.38, our solution transmits raw T.30 fax signals (the foundational protocol for PSTN faxing) to the SBC. The SBC then converts the data into G.711 audio streams—a widely supported codec in VoIP systems—for transmission to PBX platforms or cloud services. This approach offers three key advantages:

1. Network Resilience: POTS Media SBC manage packet prioritization, jitter buffering, and error correction, shielding fax traffic from network volatility.

2. Interoperability: G.711’s universal compatibility ensures seamless integration with existing VoIP infrastructure, avoiding codec negotiation failures common with T.38.

3. PSTN Emulation: By preserving T.30 signaling until the SBC stage, legacy fax machines operate as if connected to traditional PSTN lines, minimizing configuration changes.

Extending Reliability to Online Fax Platforms

Beyond physical fax devices, Vola recently expanded support to online fax solutions to address the decline of PSTN networks. Beyond ensuring reliable fax transmission between physical fax machines, we have also expanded our solution to support online fax services (eFax).

With this new compatibility, users can send faxes to eFax platforms directly from traditional fax machines without requiring additional conversion processes. By simply entering an eFax recipient number, the POTS Media SBC ensures seamless and reliable delivery to the eFax service, eliminating concerns over the gradual phase-out of PSTN networks.

This integration of POTS Media SBC with eFax services provides businesses with a future-proof faxing solution. Organizations can continue using their existing fax infrastructure while benefiting from the improved reliability and adaptability that SBC offers. The elimination of dependency on PSTN lines ensures uninterrupted fax communication, even as the telecommunications landscape evolves.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Vola SBC solution offers a robust POTS replacement strategy, not only enhances the reliability of traditional fax transmissions over VoIP, but also provides seamless integration with online fax services. By optimizing T.30 data handling and supporting eFax compatibility, we offer a robust and adaptable fax communication system for the modern era.

Contact Us

If you are looking for a reliable POTS replacement solution or would like to learn more about transitioning your traditional fax systems to modern cloud-based alternatives, our team is here to assist you. Whether you need to optimize your existing fax infrastructure or deploy a new Fax over IP (FoIP) solution, we can tailor the best strategy for your needs. Contact us today to start your fax modernization journey!

Email: sales@volanetworks.com

Phone: 408 460 5653

Website: https://www.volanetworks.com/