Founded in 1977, Extra Space Storage (NYSE: EXR) is the second largest operator of self-storage facilities in the U.S. As of December 31, 2022, the company had properties in 41 states and Washington, D.C., owning or operating over 2,000 stores comprising approximately 1.4 million units and 152.6 million square feet of rentable space. More than 45 years of growth had left it with a network of thousands of POTS lines from multiple telecom carriers.

Local exchange carriers are decommissioning copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and raising rates for local telephone service. During 45+ years of growth and expansion, Extra Space Storage had accumulated more than 2,000 U.S. locations and a stitched-together network of thousands of POTS lines deployed by multiple telecom carriers.

Those lines carried more than ordinary calls. They included connections for security alarms and elevator phones, and looming decommissioning and rising rates put all of them at risk. Replacing the alarm and elevator equipment itself would have been a far costlier option.

Extra Space Storage engaged its IT consultant, Elite Telecom, to find alternatives. It needed an experienced communications and network leader that could transform all of its POTS lines to digital voice service, at large scale and quickly.

Elite Telecom Solutions recommended MetTel for the POTS Transformation project. MetTel is a managed network and communications service provider whose portfolio spans managed network connectivity, cloud communications, mobility, IoT, SD-WAN, SASE and managed telecom equipment, and its POTS replacement offering is among the strongest on the market.

The project scope covered approximately 1,500 locations that needed to be surveyed to assess local copper facilities for replacement. The surveys were completed quickly and in close coordination with the Extra Space Storage team. They also revealed lines at certain locations that were not in use; these were disconnected and removed from the project, delivering significant cost savings before any device was installed.

To replace the remaining lines with digital connections, MetTel worked closely with Elite Telecom to deploy a customized solution built on more than 500 MetTel POTS Transformation devices. The rollout was completed effectively and within the requested timeframe, relieving Extra Space Storage of the pressure of pending POTS line decommissioning.

The result is one cloud-based digital voice network, fully managed by MetTel, with one bill regardless of the underlying carriers in use, 24/7/365 monitoring and support, real-time monitoring, improved reporting and enhanced calling functionality. The MetTel Portal, powered by Bruin, gives Extra Space Storage a single pane of glass for visibility into its entire network and a clearer understanding of usage and behavior.

• POTS-to-digital voice transformation completed across more than 2,000 locations
• 1,500 locations surveyed; MetTel POTS Transformation deployed at over 500 locations
• Unused lines identified during surveys and disconnected, producing significant cost savings
• Costlier replacement of alarm and elevator equipment avoided
• One fully managed network with 24/7/365 support, one bill and flat-rate predictable billing
• Single-pane visibility into network usage and behavior through the MetTel Portal, powered by Bruin