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How is Business Long Distance different from residential long distance?

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Business and residential long distance have developed in similar patterns over the past twenty years. In 1984, the national phone company AT&T was broken up into AT&T Long Distance and the seven �baby bells� of local calling. After that split, other phone companies fought their way into the long distance market�MCI and Sprint being the biggest challengers to AT&T�s dominance.

The difference between business long distance and residential long distance lies primarily in the features and uses of the two types rather than in the technology or the industry itself. After all, whether you are in the office or at your house, a phone call is still a phone call.

While residential long distance fits families who make a few long distance calls a week or a month, business long distance deals in mass quantities. Businesses spend tens of thousands of dollars or more each year on long distance telephone calls. In addition, many businesses include a large group of separate phone lines on one business long distance account. Everyone in your five hundred-employee workplace may be on the same long distance account. On the opposite end of the spectrum, your company may offer one toll free number to customers around the country, but hundreds or thousands of physical telephones ring in response to that one number.

Business long distance plans often also include features that are less likely to appear in residential plans. Many businesses use a separate number for a fax machine or regularly use conference calls. Regardless of your business�s exact use of long distance, however, it is worth your time to investigate your options in the industry before committing to a specific plan.

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