Action Steps for Best Long Distance Phone Service
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify the different areas served by long distance telephone carriers

Long distance service is subdivided into several distinct coverage types. The meaning of international long distance should be obvious: calling between countries, but what the heck is a LATA or intraLATA call?

I recommend: Local toll calls or regional toll calls are the terms applied to calls placed in your regional calling area, or LATA. These intraLATA calls, which fall somewhere between local and long distance calls, include calls to areas such as another county or a neighboring town, and sometimes fall within the same area code. The Federal Communications Commission gives an extended explanation of LATA or intraLATA calling, and AT&T has a handy utility that will, if you input your telephone number, show your regional calling area.

Understand when long distance providers might let you make free calls--or not

Toll free numbers--prefixed by 800, 888, 877 or 866--are specialized long distance services that allow consumers to make long distance calls to your business at no charge to them; instead, you pay the charges for the incoming call. Vanity numbers, which are often toll free, spell out a word or acronym on a telephone keypad (using some combination of the letters assigned to each number) that's related to the business that owns the telephone number.

I recommend: Sometimes it's possible to purchase a toll free number directly from long distance carriers like Verizon. If you're wondering whether your current number has a secret message hidden inside it or may already be a vanity number, use PhoneSpell to check.

Weed through long distance phone service key terms and charges

Recurring charges are the charges you'll see from your long distance provider on a month-to-month basis. Non-recurring charges, including set-up and activation fees, are usually assessed one time only.

I recommend: Service Electric Telephone's non-recurring charges page gives good examples of one-time charges you may find listed on your telephone bill. Recurring charges are typically laid out and agreed to in the original TOS (terms of service) agreement you made with your long distance provider. The CallSense Long Distance Calling Glossary help to round out your education by providing a list of terms you're likely to encounter as you search for and deal with a long distance carrier.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're confused about terms your long distance service provider uses and they're not able to offer a reasonable explanation, the Federal Communications Commission is the final authority for all things telephone, including long distance, and is your best source for getting answers.

Guide to Long Distance Phone Service

Cut your costs without cutting quality when choosing among long distance carriers

By Greg Brown

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Long distance phone service for metros

Most local phone providers will happily cover your long distance service up to and including towns pretty far away -- yet in your general area -- as part what is is called 'local long distance' phone service.

I recommend: Either through mergers or legislation, long distance carriers AT&T, Verizon and Qwest control most of the local access and transport area, or LATA, generally the major metros or, in thinly populated states, much larger areas. A competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) will be allowed to sell the same "local" long distance service, and perhaps more cheaply. Look up a CLEC near you at the ISG Telecom consultancy site.

Consider a separate long-haul long distance service

In some cases, it can be worthwhile to take the very cheapest local phone service and then buy long distance phone service from long distance providers for a per-minute rate or an all-you-can-eat flat monthly long distance service fee.

I recommend: Major, established long distance providers include MCI, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and Qwest. Business.com also has directory page on long distance providers.

Long distance telephone need not be a standard fixed-line phone provider

Increasingly, long distance service is available as a feature from your cable TV provider or as a third-party long distance service added on to your existing Internet connection. If you have high-speed Web or cable, you're an installation away from sometimes cheaper alternatives to long distance carriers.

I recommend: Part of the business model for Web and cable long distance phone is lower costs since they don't deal with minute-by-minute long distance service billing. Instead, these long distance providers charge a flat monthly rate and let you talk across the country (and to some foreign countries) limitlessly. Cable providers of long distance phone service include Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision Systems, and Charter Communications. Look at third-party options for long distance phone service from Vonage, Packet8 and Sunrocket.

Long distance carriers compete more than ever

Taken a look at your cellular plan lately? Chances are very high that you have 'free' national long distance service as part of your basic package. The wireless carriers have stopped charging for domestic long distance service and even for roaming to push users toward them and away from fixed-line for long distance service.

I recommend: Younger people often choose one or the other, but you can still drive down your total telecom costs by signing up for a "bundled" package. If your local phone provider also sells local service, long distance service, or both, see if switching to their wireless brand will save you money. Verizon, AT&T (formerly BellSouth/Cingular), and Sprint all offer some flavor of the wireless plus fixed-line bundle that include long distance telephone.

Long distance providers can sometimes lock you in

It's called a PIC freeze, for 'preferred interexchange carrier.' Long distance carriers will often lock you line into their long distance service to keep it from being switched illegally by a competitor, a practice known as 'slamming.' A PIC freeze is a good thing as long as you realize it is being done and your long distance provider is reasonably fast at releasing your line should you change long distance carriers.

I recommend: Read up on slamming and other long distance service protections for consumers at the Federal Communications Commission.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It can be a chore, but absolutely step one is looking at your old long distance phone service bills. You will find patterns -- like multiple calls to a single number, or calls mostly at night -- that will figure heavily into your choices among new long distance providers.
• •  If you are trying to price long distance service for a small business, it will help to know who makes what calls to where. Most long distance providers will give you a code for each employee to enter before connecting a long distance call. That kind of tracking from long distance carriers will help with budgets.
• •  A hugely popular alternative is long distance service calling cards and 'dial around' long distance service. These can be very cheap, but sometimes they are tricky to use (lots of codes!) and, obviously, no customer service. Go this route only if it's for personal long distance telephone calls and if you call the same foreign numbers often.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find business long distance service providers in your area

Not all long distance carriers or resellers offer service in all states; before wasting your time exploring business plans on unavailable carriers, make sure you're dealing with a company that can ultimately provide you with service at your location.

I recommend: Use coverage maps like those offered by Verizon and Qwest, to find out whether certain companies offer business long distance service in your area before you begin a detailed examination of the plans they offer.

Decode how long distance telephone carriers get your money

Long distance charges typically apply to calls placed to other states or countries, but may occasionally apply to in-state calls as well. Charges are usually accrued per minute of call time; a long distance call between states will almost always cost more per minute than a long distance call placed in-state, and international long distance calls are typically the most expensive.

I recommend: AT&T's Frequently Asked Questions page breaks down the difference between local, regional toll and long distance calls; click on the "What is the difference between Local, Regional and Long Distance phone service?" link to learn more. PhoneRateFinder.com lets you get an idea of how charges for same-state, international or between state calls may vary.

Get the perks of business long distance service

You could, conceivably, purchase residential long distance service for your business telephones, but that might violate your long distance carrier's terms of service. You'd also be missing out on business perks like free fax access, long distance access codes and logging to prevent unauthorized use and charges, support for business-specific calling and intercom systems, and options to bundle in other business features like high-speed Internet over your phone lines.

I recommend: The Ohio State University offers a list of some of the capabilities and features that may come with access or authorization codes for long distance use, including easy tracking and charge itemization; e-wisdom.com allows you to compare the features available from both business and residential long distance providers in your service area.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It's usually best to deal with long distance carriers for business, as opposed to residential providers; a business long distance phone carrier is more likely to have experience catering to a business's specific needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for monthly long distance service options

Saving money on long distance phone service can be as easy as finding a monthly flat-fee service, provided the fee is less than you would normally spend on long distance. Make sure the fee includes all the options you need, such as international calling, daytime calls and others that you might take for granted.

I recommend: Read the frequently asked questions section at LongDistanceUS.com to find out more about how monthly minimums work. Qwest offers flat-fee, monthly long distance options with money-saving choices for small, medium and large businesses .

Get the lowdown on long distance fees

Don't focus on the savings without considering the fine print. Some plans may seem to save you money, but individual fees outlined in small print could end up costing you more.

I recommend: Read the article at Bankrate.com to find out more about saving money on business long distance plan fees. Comparecalls.com offers a tool that lets you compare 10 different long distance carriers and all their fees at one time.

Use a comparison service to review long distance telephone companies

Save yourself some time by starting your initial search with a long distance comparison website. The sites are a good way to compare several service providers at one time, but you'll want to choose a few and then find out specific fees, regulations and overall costs straight from that company's website.

I recommend: Use the comparison tools at USATalkCheap or SaveOnPhone.com to review your long distance providers' options. Both provide comparison tools for many different carriers.

Find long distance carriers for business uses

Many long distance providers offer plans specifically designed for businesses. From monthly flat rate options to multi-line deals, these companies can be money savers for large and small businesses.

I recommend: AB Tolls provides a free business quote for small businesses who are interested in customized long distance phone service. Their only stipulation is that you must have a monthly long distance bill of more than $100 to get a quote. Use the Verizon small business long distance service recommendation tool to help you find the type of plan that's best for your business.