AT&T is retiring the traditional copper phone lines many Michigan businesses still use, and it is happening in phases, area by area. When your area is approved, AT&T sends a notice and the copper service ends after the notice period. Main lines, fax lines, alarm lines, and elevator phones can all be affected. This guide explains what is changing, what to check, and how businesses in Saginaw, Midland, Bay City, and mid-Michigan can move without losing their phone numbers.

What is changing

Traditional landlines, often called POTS lines, run over copper wire that phone companies have maintained for decades. AT&T is replacing that network with fiber and wireless service, and federal regulators have approved its requests to stop offering copper service in a growing list of areas, including many in Michigan. Approvals arrive in batches, so the timing depends on where your business is. The practical result is the same everywhere: any device in your building that depends on a copper line needs a new path before the line is shut off.

What it affects in a typical business

  • Main and secondary phone lines, including the number on your sign and your Google listing.
  • Fax lines for pharmacies, medical and dental offices, law offices, and suppliers.
  • Alarm and fire alarm communicators that report to a monitoring center.
  • Elevator emergency phones and gate, door, or intercom entry systems.
  • Older card terminals and modems that still dial out over a phone line.

Step 1: List every line and what is plugged into it

Pull your most recent phone bill and match every number to a device or a purpose. Businesses are often paying for lines nobody remembers, and they are just as often surprised by a line that turns out to run the alarm panel. That list is the whole plan: each line either moves to business VoIP, moves to a specific replacement such as a cellular communicator, or gets cancelled.

Step 2: Move voice lines to a business phone system and keep the numbers

Voice lines are the easy part. Your numbers can be ported to a business VoIP phone system that runs over your internet connection, with desk phones, a mobile app, an auto-attendant, and voicemail-to-email. The old line keeps working until the port is complete, so customers never get a dead number. The most common mistake is cancelling the AT&T line before the port finishes, which can lose the number entirely.

Step 3: Give fax, alarm, and elevator lines their own replacement

These lines are not ordinary phone calls, so they need the right replacement rather than a desk phone. Fax can move to a digital fax service or a VoIP adapter. Alarm and fire alarm panels usually move to a cellular communicator. Elevator emergency phones have safety code requirements. For anything tied to fire or life safety, confirm the change with your alarm company and your local fire inspector before the copper line is cut.

Step 4: Plan for internet outages

Once phones run over the internet, the internet becomes the phone line. A well-built system sends calls to mobile apps or voicemail automatically if the office goes offline, and a backup internet connection or cellular failover keeps phones up during an outage. This is worth deciding at the start, not after the first outage.

Why a local provider helps here

A copper retirement is part phone system and part building walkthrough. Someone has to find the alarm line in the back room and the fax line under the front desk. Computers To Go has walk-in stores in Saginaw and Midland, runs its own hosted phone platform, and installs and supports phone systems on-site across the Great Lakes Bay Region. For the bigger picture on choosing a system, read our guide to business VoIP phone systems in Michigan.

Frequently asked questions

Is AT&T shutting off copper landlines in Michigan?

Yes, in phases. AT&T is retiring its traditional copper phone network and has been granted federal approval to stop offering copper landline service in a growing number of Michigan service areas. Businesses in an affected area receive a written notice from AT&T before service ends. Areas are approved at different times, so a neighbor can be affected before you are.

Can my business keep its phone number when the copper line goes away?

Yes. Your number can be ported to a business VoIP phone system before the copper line is disconnected. The number stays live on the old line until the port completes, so do not cancel the AT&T line yourself first. Porting is routine and regulated by the FCC.

What about fax, alarm, and elevator lines?

They need attention too. Fax machines, alarm panels, fire alarm communicators, elevator emergency phones, gate and door entry systems, and older card terminals often run on copper lines. Each needs a replacement path, such as a VoIP adapter, a cellular communicator, or a digital fax service. Fire and elevator lines also have code requirements, so confirm the change with your alarm company or fire inspector.

How do I know which of my lines are copper?

Start with your phone bill: list every number and what is plugged into it. Lines billed as basic business lines or POTS lines are usually copper. Computers To Go can walk through your bill and your equipment with you and map which lines move to VoIP and which need a different replacement.