plain old telephone service

noun

A traditional telephony system based on the analog transmission of sound, as opposed to newer alternatives like ISDN or VoIP.

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Meanings

nounplain old telephone service (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA traditional telephony system based on the analog transmission of sound, as opposed to newer alternatives like ISDN or VoIP.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
post office telephone systempots

Origin

A reinterpretation of the long-standing acronym POTS, originally standing for post office telephone system.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

plain old telephone service. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plain%20old%20telephone%20service

MLA

“plain old telephone service.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plain%20old%20telephone%20service. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plain old telephone service,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plain%20old%20telephone%20service.

Source: plain old telephone service on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.