AT&T copper retirement in Texas: what building owners need to know
AT&T is the dominant carrier across Texas, and the copper retirement hitting the state is massive. If you own or manage a commercial building in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, or Fort Worth, your copper POTS lines are on the retirement schedule — and the timeline has accelerated significantly since the FCC shortened the required notice period to just 90 days.
This guide covers which Texas cities are affected, what the deadlines are, what systems are at risk in your building, and exactly what you need to do to stay compliant and operational.
Which Texas cities are affected?
AT&T is the incumbent carrier (ILEC) across the majority of Texas. Every city and town served by AT&T is part of the copper retirement plan. Here are the major metro areas and their area codes:
Dallas
Houston
San Antonio
Austin
Fort Worth
Smaller cities including El Paso, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Amarillo, Waco, and Midland-Odessa are also in AT&T territory and part of the same retirement schedule. If your building has copper POTS lines from AT&T anywhere in Texas, they are on the retirement timeline.
The timeline
October 2025 — All new copper orders frozen
AT&T stopped accepting new copper POTS line orders across 19 states including Texas. No new installations, no line changes, no transfers. Existing lines are grandfathered but cannot be modified.
November 2025 — Termination notices begin
AT&T started sending 90-day termination notices to approximately 90,000 customers across 18 states. Texas is one of the heaviest-hit states due to AT&T's dominant position as the legacy carrier.
March 2026 — FCC shortens notice period
The FCC eliminated the old Section 214 approval process. Carriers now only need to give customers 90 days notice before permanently shutting off copper. This cut the effective warning time in half.
June 2026 — Wire center shutdowns begin
The first wave of wire center retirements is expected to begin. AT&T has identified 1,711 wire centers nationally for the retirement process, with Texas containing a significant portion.
November 2026 — Hard cutoff for first notice batch
Buildings that received November 2025 termination notices face a hard service cutoff on November 15, 2026. After this date, copper lines in affected wire centers stop working permanently.
What's at risk in your Texas building?
When your wire center retires, every copper line in your building goes dead on the same day. The systems most Texas building owners don't think about are the ones most at risk:
- Fire alarm panel (DACT) — dials the monitoring station over copper. When the line dies, the monitoring station never gets the call. Your building fails its next fire inspection.
- Elevator emergency phones — every cab has a dedicated copper line. All go dead simultaneously. The elevator inspector will flag every cab in the building.
- Security alarm panel — your intrusion alarm can't reach the monitoring center. Your building is unmonitored. Insurance may deny claims.
- Building entry and gate intercoms — lobby callboxes, parking gate systems, and tenant entry intercoms that dial over copper go silent.
- Fax lines — medical offices, law firms, and title companies across Texas still depend on fax for document transmission. HIPAA-regulated fax stops working.
- ATMs and POS terminals — legacy payment devices that dial out over copper go offline.
The cost situation in Texas
AT&T has been aggressively raising copper line rates across Texas since 2022. Many Texas buildings are now paying $150–$400 per line per month for basic analog POTS service.
A 12-story office building in Dallas with 3 elevators, a fire panel, security alarm, gate intercom, and 2 area of refuge phones (8 total POTS lines) might be paying $1,200–$3,200/month on copper.
The same building on cellular POTS replacement: $240–$480/month. That's a savings of $8,600–$32,600 per year.
What Texas building owners should do now
Step 1: Audit your copper lines
Find out exactly how many POTS lines your building has, what each one connects to, what you're paying per line, and which wire center serves your address. CopperAlerts provides this audit for free for commercial buildings across Texas.
Step 2: Match the right replacement to each system
Fire alarms and elevator phones need certified cellular POTS-in-a-box devices (NFPA 72 and ASME A17.1 compliant). Business voice lines can move to a cloud phone system. Building entry and fax lines can go either way depending on requirements. One audit covers all of it.
Step 3: Schedule installation before the rush
Vendor lead times across Texas are already stretching as more buildings get their 90-day notices. Buildings that wait until the notice arrives will be competing with hundreds of other buildings in the same metro area for installation slots. Acting now guarantees you're covered before your deadline.
Free copper audit for Texas buildings
We identify every POTS line in your building, calculate your current copper costs, and show you the replacement plan with projected savings.
Schedule free auditOr call 305-482-1121
Frequently asked questions
Is AT&T disconnecting copper lines in Texas?
Yes. AT&T has filed copper retirement notices covering wire centers across Texas including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Fort Worth. AT&T stopped accepting new copper POTS orders in Texas as of October 2025. Permanent discontinuance is targeted for November 2026, with wire center shutdowns beginning as early as June 2026.
Which Texas cities are affected?
Every Texas city served by AT&T is on the retirement schedule. Dallas-Fort Worth (214, 817, 972), Houston (713, 281), San Antonio (210), and Austin (512) are all in AT&T territory. Smaller cities including El Paso, Corpus Christi, Lubbock, and Waco are also affected.
How much does POTS replacement cost in Texas?
Cellular POTS replacement typically costs $30–60 per line per month, compared to $150–400+ per line on copper. A typical Texas commercial building with 6–10 POTS lines can save $8,000–$40,000+ per year by switching to cellular alternatives.
Can I switch my fire alarm to VoIP instead?
No. Standard VoIP will fail your fire alarm inspection in Texas. The Texas State Fire Marshal requires NFPA 72 compliant communication paths for fire alarm panels. VoIP does not meet this requirement. You need a certified cellular communicator or POTS-in-a-box device.
Does CopperAlerts serve all of Texas?
Yes. CopperAlerts serves commercial buildings across all of Texas — Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, and every city in between. We're headquartered in Miami with nationwide capabilities through our vendor partnerships.
Related resources
AT&T copper retirement in Florida
Who replaces copper lines for fire alarms, elevators & ATMs?
Fire alarm POTS replacement: NFPA 72 compliance
Elevator phone line replacement: ASME A17.1 requirements