Telephone Service and Providers for Digital, Landline, and Cell

Unlike other communication services, telephone service availability is generally determined by area code which is the first three numbers of a telephone number directly after the country code. In the U.S. the country code is the number 1, which is why we dial 1 for long distance. A zip code search for phone service will not be highly accurate since there can be multiple area codes in a single zip code.

That being said you can view a list of major city area codes, but unlike the national broadband map which shows a list of Internet providers you won't find a list of phone service providers, and as of now there is no such map for telephone providers since nearly every address in the U.S. has access to home telephone.

Generally speaking most people lump phone service into two categories: landline, and cellular. While it's understandable that home phone is mostly considered to be landline, this is technically incorrect, and most service providers are in the process of ending landline services in favor of cheaper digital (voip) for home telephone. Cable providers are a good example of large companies using voip / digital technology for home telephone.

If you need to switch telephone providers but want to keep your current phone number the FCC has some useful information on number portability that you may want to take a look at before switching carriers. If you have problems keeping your number they also provide a complaint form to help you get the issue sorted out.

For low income eligible consumers the government provides a benefit program that provides a discount on monthly telephone service, also known as lifeline. This provides access to affordable basic phone service to low income Americans, and may include limitations on long distance, or toll service. If you're living on Tribal lands you may be eligible for the Link up program. You can find out if you qualify by checking the poverty guidelines.

Depending on where you live, and serviceability you may have access to several types of phone service including:

• Landline - wired analog over copper
• Digital - wired cable / fiber using voip technology
• VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol requires broadband connection
• Cellular - wireless and requires wireless carrier

If you feel anything has been left out, or needs more explanation, please feel free to contact us with your ideas and suggestions.