{"id":11509,"date":"2011-07-28T22:59:56","date_gmt":"2011-07-28T22:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/telephone-company\/"},"modified":"2011-09-30T08:57:04","modified_gmt":"2011-09-30T08:57:04","slug":"telephone-company","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/26237\/telephone-company-telco","title":{"rendered":"Telephone Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span id=\"what_does_telephone_company_mean\">What Does Telephone Company Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>This term is also known as telecommunications operator, communications service provider (CSP) and, in the U.S., local exchange carrier (LEC).<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"techopedia_explains_telephone_company\">Techopedia Explains Telephone Company<\/span><\/h2>\n<div style=\"border-style: none; display: inline\">\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A cellular telephone company (cellco) is the wireless counterpart to telco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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). 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