Telephone Company

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What Does Telephone Company Mean?

A telephone company (telco) provides telephone and data communication services. Most telephone companies offer Internet/telephone packages for a fixed monthly fee. Bundled telephony services are usually cheaper than individual services.

This term is also known as telecommunications operator, communications service provider (CSP) and, in the U.S., local exchange carrier (LEC).

Techopedia Explains Telephone Company

Customers use telco services for local, long distance and international phone calls. Fees for long distance and international calls are usually higher than local calls. Additionally, fees are usually charged for phone line rentals. There are also services with discounts for certain call types, including local, long distance and international calls.

A cellular telephone company (cellco) is the wireless counterpart to telco.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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