Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 Industry Analysis and Technology Division Wireline Competition Bureau November 2016 This report is available for reference in the FCC’s Reference Information Center, Courtyard Level, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC. Copies may be purchased by contacting Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, telephone (800) 378-3160, or via their website at www.bcpiweb.com. The report can also be downloaded from the Voice Telephone Services Reports webpage at https://www.fcc.gov/general/iatd-data-statistical-reports. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 i Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Comparison to Local Telephone Competition Report ....................................................................... 1 Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections ...................................................................................... 2 Figure 1 Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections, 2012-2015 ........................................ 2 Figure 2 Wireline Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections by Technology, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2015 ............................ 3 Retail Service Relationships ................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 3 Interconnected VoIP Subscribership by Reported Service Features, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2015 ............................ 5 Figure 4 Retail Relationships of Wireline Voice Telephone Service with Internet Access Service by Regulatory Status as of December 31, 2015 .................. 6 Detailed Voice Telephone Services Data ............................................................................................ 7 Table 1 Voice Subscriptions – Total for US ........................................................................... 8 Table 2 Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions – Total for US .................... 10 Technical Notes ................................................................................................................................... 12 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 13 SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE ON FCC WEBSITE - Table 1 and Table 2 in Excel format (national-level data back to June 2014) - State-level Subscriptions table in Excel format (data back to June 2014) - State-level Number of Providers table in Excel format (data back to June 2014) - County-level Subscriptions information in Excel format (data back to June 2014) - CSV-format file of consistent data series published for 2008-2015 - Crosswalk to the report Local Telephone Competition: Status as of December 31, 2013 in PDF format U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 1 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 Introduction The Commission has used FCC Form 477 to collect subscribership information from providers of voice telephone services – the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), and mobile voice providers – since December 1999. The Commission has required interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“interconnected VoIP”) service providers to report subscribership information since December 2008 because the use of VoIP technology is growing rapidly and it increasingly is used to provide voice telephone service.1 Also, starting with the data reported for 2014, Form 477 has been modified to distinguish “over-the-top” (colloquially, “bring your own broadband”) interconnected VoIP subscriptions from other interconnected VoIP subscriptions.2 This report summarizes the information collected about telephone services as of December 31, 2015. It demonstrates continued growth in subscribership to interconnected VoIP and mobile voice services and continued decline in subscribership to traditional wired telephone services.3 Comparison to Local Telephone Competition Report This report previously was titled Local Telephone Competition. Reports under the earlier title summarized Form 477 data through December 31, 2013. Reports under the current title provide much of the summarized data as supplemental spreadsheet files, available at https://www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone- services-report. A crosswalk between data elements in this report and data elements in the Local Telephone Competition report is available at that page. 1 The FCC’s rules (at 47 C.F.R. § 9.3) state: An interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is a service that: (1) Enables real-time, two-way voice communications; (2) Requires a broadband connection from the user’s location; (3) Requires Internet protocol-compatible customer premises equipment (CPE); and (4) Permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network. We note that the current interpretation of element (4) of the definition excludes the VoIP services that Skype offers in the United States, and subscribers to those services are not reported on Form 477. 2 The Technical Notes and the Glossary that appear at the end of this report provide more-detailed information about the current Form 477 and the meaning of terms used in this report. To be consistent with modifications to Form 477 that were adopted in 2013 (to be effective for reporting June 2014 and later data), and to avoid confusion, this report no longer uses the terms “standalone VoIP” and, by contrast, “broadband bundle.” Standalone VoIP in the earlier, Local Telephone Competition, reports has a different meaning from “over-the-top” VoIP in this report. In particular, subscriptions reported as standalone VoIP for December 2013 and earlier dates included over-the-top subscriptions as defined in this report and also video-plus-VoIP service subscriptions sold by cable TV system operators and other entities that own last-mile facilities to end-user premises. We note that, accordingly, 13% of total interconnected VoIP subscriptions were categorized as standalone VoIP in December 2013 and, by contrast, 10% of total interconnected VoIP subscriptions were categorized as over-the-top VoIP in December 2014. 3 The presentation of mobile wireless telephone subscriber counts in this report does not constitute, or imply, Commission analysis of the extent to which wireline and mobile wireless telephone services are demand substitutes or complements in general or in any particular situation. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 2 Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections Retail voice telephone service customers are served by two wireline technologies – “end-user” switched access lines and interconnected VoIP “subscriptions” – and by mobile wireless subscriptions. ? In December 2015, there were 65 million end-user switched access lines in service, 59 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 335 million mobile subscriptions in the United States, or 458 million retail voice telephone service connections in total. See Figure 1. ? Over the three-year period presented in Figure 1, interconnected VoIP subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 12%, mobile voice subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 3%, and retail switched access lines declined at 12% per year.4 Figure 1 Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections, 2012 - 2015 (in Thousands) ? Of the 124 million wireline retail voice telephone service connections (including both switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions) in December 2015, 68 million (or 55%) were residential connections and 56 million (or 45%) were business connections.5 See Figure 2. 4 The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a smoothed rate of growth calculated in three steps. First, divide the ending value by the beginning value. Second, raise the result of that division to a power equal to one divided by the number of years in the period (in this case, 3 years, so the power is 1/3). Third, subtract the number one from the result of the second step. 5 FCC Form 477 does not distinguish between residential and business subscribers to mobile voice service. The information that Form 477 collects about mobile broadband service is summarized elsewhere; see Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2015, available at https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/internet-access- services-reports/internet-access-services-reports. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 3 Figure 2 Wireline Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections by Technology, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2015 (in Thousands) Total Switched Access Interconnected Total Lines VoIP ILEC 51,073 12,605 63,678 Non-ILEC 13,499 46,525 60,024 Total 64,572 59,130 123,702 Residential ILEC 25,807 10,093 35,900 Non-ILEC 1,757 29,868 31,624 Residential Total 27,564 39,960 67,524 Business ILEC 25,265 2,512 27,778 Non-ILEC 11,743 16,657 28,400 Business Total 37,008 19,170 56,177 Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. ILEC = Incumbent local exchange carrier. A voice-service affiliate of an ILEC that is operating outside the ILEC’s traditional service area (“study area”) is a Non-ILEC. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 4 ? Cross-classified by technology and the retailer’s regulatory status in Figure 2, the 68 million wireline residential connections in December 2015 were: 38% ILEC switched access lines, 44% non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 15% ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 3% non-ILEC switched access lines. Similarly, the 56 million wireline business connections were: 45% ILEC switched access lines, 30% non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 4% ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 21% non-ILEC switched access lines. Retail Service Relationships The revised Form 477 program collects two types of information about retail service relationships. ? Interconnected VoIP service retailers distinguish over-the-top (“OTT”) interconnected VoIP subscriptions—which, in the revised Form 477 program, means that the VoIP service end user has purchased (or has use of) a broadband connection from an entity that is not affiliated with the VoIP service retailer—by contrast to all other interconnected VoIP subscriptions. See Figure 3. ? Retailers of switched access lines and retailers of interconnected VoIP service distinguish between sales to end users who do not also purchase Internet access from them (including affiliates) and sales to end users who do purchase both these services. See Figure 4. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 5 Figure 3 Interconnected VoIP Subscribership by Reported Service Features, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2015 (in Thousands) Total Over-the-Top All Other Total (OTT) VoIP ILEC 36 12,569 12,605 Non-ILEC 6,072 40,452 46,525 Total 6,109 53,021 59,130 Residential ILEC 34 10,058 10,093 Non-ILEC 2,754 27,113 29,868 Residential Total 2,788 37,172 39,960 Business ILEC 2 2,510 2,512 Non-ILEC 3,318 13,339 16,657 Business Total 3,320 15,849 19,170 Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 6 Figure 4 Retail Relationships of Wireline Voice Telephone Service with Internet Access Service by Regulatory Status as of December 31, 2015 (in Thousands) Total Sold to End Users ILEC Non-ILEC Total Switched Access Lines 51,073 13,499 64,572 Over-the-Top VoIP 36 6,072 6,109 All Other VoIP 12,569 40,452 53,021 Total 63,678 60,024 123,702 Internet Also Sold Switched Access Lines 18,578 4,228 22,806 Over-the-Top VoIP 0 0 0 All Other VoIP 12,536 36,440 48,976 Both Sold Total 31,114 40,668 71,782 Internet Not Also Sold Switched Access Lines 32,495 9,271 41,766 Over-the-Top VoIP 36 6,072 6,109 All Other VoIP 33 4,012 4,045 Only Voice Total 32,564 19,356 51,920 Figures may not sum totals due to rounding. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 7 Detailed Voice Telephone Services Data The remainder of this document consists of national information, technical notes, and a glossary of terms. ? Table 1 summarizes national-level voice telephone service subscription data for December 2015, and also for June 2015 and December 2014, for individual data elements collected by FCC Form 477. ? Table 2 shows the number of entities that reported the national-level subscription data for December 2015, and also for June 2015 and December 2014. Table 1 and Table 2 are available in Excel format at https://www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone-services-report. Also available at that page are: ? State-level Subscriptions table in Excel format (data back to June 2014) ? State-level Number of Providers table in Excel format (data back to June 2014) ? County-level Subscriptions information in Excel format (data back to June 2014) ? CSV-format file of the consistent data series that are available back to December 2008, when interconnected VoIP retailers were first required to report subscription information on Form 477. Earlier data, back to December 1999, are available in the Local Telephone Competition reports at https://www.fcc.gov/general/local-telephone-competition-reports. However, researchers who consider using the complete data series for trend analysis should recall the discontinuities in the data that arise from Form 477 modifications over time. ? Between December 1999 and December 2004, Form 477 collected state-by-state data only from local exchange carriers with at least 10,000 end-user switched access lines in service in the state, and from facilities-based mobile voice carriers with at least 10,000 mobile voice subscriptions in service in the state. ? Prior to December 2008, interconnected VoIP service retailers were not required to submit Form 477, but an unknown amount of interconnected VoIP service was included along with the switched access lines reported by some Form 477 filers. ? As discussed earlier in this report, the category standalone interconnected VoIP that was reported from December 2008 to December 2013 is different (that is, includes more subscriptions) than the category over-the-top interconnected VoIP that is reported starting with the June 2014 data.6 6 See footnote 2, above. Reference Data element Dec 2015 June 2015 Dec 2014 1 Mobile telephony 334,589 326,591 322,527 2     Directly-billed or prepaid 295,632 286,565 283,316 3     Not directly-billed or prepaid 38,958 40,026 39,210 4 Wireline End-User Switched Access Lines and Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions 123,702 124,836 126,844 5     Incumbent LECs 63,678 66,872 69,382 6     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 60,024 57,964 57,462 7     Consumer-grade service 67,524 68,857 70,233 8         Incumbent LECs 35,900 37,888 39,433 9         Other (Non-ILECs) 31,624 30,969 30,800 10     Business & Government-grade service 56,177 55,979 56,610 11         Incumbent LECs 27,778 28,983 29,949 12         Other (Non-ILECs) 28,400 26,995 26,661 13 Local exchange telephone service (Switched Access Lines) 64,572 68,088 72,605 14     Incumbent LECs 51,073 54,639 58,045 15     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 13,499 13,450 14,560 16     Consumer-grade service 27,564 29,766 32,000 17         Incumbent LECs 25,807 27,915 29,937 18         Other (Non-ILECs) 1,757 1,851 2,063 19     Business & Government-grade service 37,008 38,323 40,605 20         Incumbent LECs 25,265 26,724 28,108 21         Other (Non-ILECs) 11,743 11,598 12,497 22 Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions - Note:  Includes both Over-the-top (OTT) and All Other sub-categories. 59,130 56,747 54,238 23     Incumbent LECs 12,605 12,233 11,336 24     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 46,525 44,514 42,902 25     Consumer-grade service 39,960 39,091 38,234 26         Incumbent LECs 10,093 9,974 9,496 27         Other (Non-ILECs) 29,868 29,117 28,738 28     Business & Government-grade service 19,170 17,656 16,005 29         Incumbent LECs 2,512 2,259 1,841 30         Other (Non-ILECs) 16,657 15,397 14,164 31 Over-the-top interconnected VoIP 6,109 5,346 5,150 32     Incumbent LECs 36 37 28 33     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 6,072 5,309 5,121 34     Consumer-grade service 2,788 2,649 2,882 35         Incumbent LECs 34 33 26 36         Other (Non-ILECs) 2,754 2,616 2,855 37     Business & Government-grade service 3,320 2,697 2,268 38         Incumbent LECs 2 3 2 39         Other (Non-ILECs) 3,318 2,694 2,266 40 All Other interconnected VoIP 53,021 51,401 49,089 41     Incumbent LECs 12,569 12,196 11,308 42     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 40,452 39,205 37,781 43     Consumer-grade service 37,172 36,442 35,352 44         Incumbent LECs 10,058 9,940 9,469 45         Other (Non-ILECs) 27,113 26,502 25,883 46     Business & Government-grade service 15,849 14,959 13,737 47         Incumbent LECs 2,510 2,256 1,839 48         Other (Non-ILECs) 13,339 12,703 11,898 49 Local exchange telephone service by last-mile delivery medium 64,572 68,088 72,605 50     Fiber-to-the-premises 5,520 5,387 5,425 51         Incumbent LECs 3,457 3,394 3,443 Table 1. Voice Subscriptions (in Thousands) - Total for US             U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 8 Reference Data element Dec 2015 June 2015 Dec 2014 Table 1. Voice Subscriptions (in Thousands) - Total for US 52         Other (Non-ILECs) 2,064 1,993 1,982 53     Coaxial cable 1,058 1,416 1,194 54         Incumbent LECs 50 59 65 55         Other (Non-ILECs) 1,007 1,357 1,128 56     Terrestrial fixed wireless 540 545 582 57         Incumbent LECs 523 536 549 58         Other (Non-ILECs) 17 9 33 59     Copper local loop 57,454 60,741 65,404 60         Incumbent LECs 47,043 50,650 53,988 61         Other (Non-ILECs) 10,412 10,091 11,416 62 All Other interconnected VoIP by last-mile delivery medium 53,021 51,401 49,089 63     Fiber-to-the-premises 6,901 7,012 6,226 64         Incumbent LECs 5,306 5,163 4,941 65         Other (Non-ILECs) 1,595 1,849 1,285 66     Coaxial cable 33,416 32,285 31,557 67         Incumbent LECs 7 5 4 68         Other (Non-ILECs) 33,409 32,280 31,552 69     Terrestrial fixed wireless or satellite 69 68 67 70         Incumbent LECs 1 1 0 71         Other (Non-ILECs) 68 67 67 72     Copper local loop 12,635 12,036 11,239 73         Incumbent LECs 7,255 7,027 6,362 74         Other (Non-ILECs) 5,381 5,008 4,877 75 Non-Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service by means of provisioning 13,499 13,450 14,560 76         Provided over owned last-mile facilities 4,551 4,661 4,852 77         Provided over UNE-L obtained from unaffiliated entity 2,504 2,368 3,270 78         Provided over other services obtained from unaffiliated entity 6,445 6,420 6,438 79 Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service provided to unaffiliated carriers for resale 6,063 6,091 6,266 80         Wholesale lines 3,608 3,667 3,750 81         UNE-L 2,455 2,424 2,516 82 Local exchange telephone service and long-distance service 64,572 68,088 72,605 83     Consumer-grade service 27,564 29,766 32,000 84         Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 16,847 18,117 19,480 85         Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 8,960 9,798 10,457 86         Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 1,491 1,576 1,725 87         Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 265 275 337 88     Business & Government-grade service 37,008 38,323 40,605 89         Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 13,567 14,330 15,122 90         Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 11,698 12,394 12,986 91         Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 8,876 8,845 9,534 92         Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 2,866 2,754 2,964 93 End user buys local exchange telephone service and Internet access service from same entity 22,806 23,561 25,095 94         End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 18,578 20,002 21,409 95         End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 4,228 3,559 3,686 96 End user buys interconnected VoIP and Internet access service from same entity 48,976 46,755 43,456 97         End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 12,536 12,169 11,285 98         End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 36,440 34,586 32,171             U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 9 Reference Data element Dec 2015 June 2015 Dec 2014 1 Mobile telephony 129 140 148 2     Directly-billed or prepaid 126 138 145 3     Not directly-billed or prepaid 24 26 28 4 Wireline End-User Switched Access Lines and Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions 1,644 1,616 1,584 5     Incumbent LECs 739 741 742 6     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 1,178 1,132 1,092 7     Consumer-grade service 1,243 1,239 1,233 8         Incumbent LECs 738 740 741 9         Other (Non-ILECs) 759 745 729 10     Business & Government-grade service 1,539 1,506 1,468 11         Incumbent LECs 736 735 736 12         Other (Non-ILECs) 1,070 1,025 977 13 Local exchange telephone service (Switched Access Lines) 1,026 1,026 1,040 14     Incumbent LECs 736 738 740 15     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 514 506 513 16     Consumer-grade service 921 918 927 17         Incumbent LECs 736 738 740 18         Other (Non-ILECs) 400 392 393 19     Business & Government-grade service 1,005 1,000 1,006 20         Incumbent LECs 734 733 735 21         Other (Non-ILECs) 491 483 481 22 Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions - Note:  Includes both Over-the-top (OTT) and All Other sub-categories. 952 903 848 23     Incumbent LECs 89 85 78 24     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 917 867 818 25     Consumer-grade service 494 485 469 26         Incumbent LECs 43 45 41 27         Other (Non-ILECs) 467 458 445 28     Business & Government-grade service 857 803 749 29         Incumbent LECs 85 80 74 30         Other (Non-ILECs) 825 770 720 31 Over-the-top interconnected VoIP 530 470 429 32     Incumbent LECs 17 17 13 33     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 521 462 424 34     Consumer-grade service 155 147 129 35         Incumbent LECs 8 9 6 36         Other (Non-ILECs) 149 140 125 37     Business & Government-grade service 485 421 392 38         Incumbent LECs 14 14 11 39         Other (Non-ILECs) 479 416 389 40 All Other interconnected VoIP 604 604 575 41     Incumbent LECs 81 79 75 42     Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 573 572 545 43     Consumer-grade service 388 386 378 44         Incumbent LECs 38 40 38 45         Other (Non-ILECs) 365 364 356 46     Business & Government-grade service 538 537 500 47         Incumbent LECs 78 75 71 48         Other (Non-ILECs) 509 506 471 49 Local exchange telephone service by last-mile delivery medium 1,026 1,026 1,040 50     Fiber-to-the-premises 677 656 652 51         Incumbent LECs 530 518 504 Table 2. Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions - Total for US             U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 10 Reference Data element Dec 2015 June 2015 Dec 2014 Table 2. Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions - Total for US 52         Other (Non-ILECs) 304 290 292 53     Coaxial cable 90 91 91 54         Incumbent LECs 21 23 22 55         Other (Non-ILECs) 79 77 77 56     Terrestrial fixed wireless 76 69 75 57         Incumbent LECs 44 46 51 58         Other (Non-ILECs) 43 33 33 59     Copper local loop 872 884 885 60         Incumbent LECs 639 654 650 61         Other (Non-ILECs) 371 363 367 62 All Other interconnected VoIP by last-mile delivery medium 604 604 575 63     Fiber-to-the-premises 339 320 284 64         Incumbent LECs 62 60 54 65         Other (Non-ILECs) 315 292 259 66     Coaxial cable 219 215 210 67         Incumbent LECs 9 10 10 68         Other (Non-ILECs) 214 211 207 69     Terrestrial fixed wireless or satellite 182 177 168 70         Incumbent LECs 8 8 9 71         Other (Non-ILECs) 175 171 162 72     Copper local loop 214 214 215 73         Incumbent LECs 41 40 41 74         Other (Non-ILECs) 191 195 196 75 Non-Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service by means of provisioning 514 506 513 76         Provided over owned last-mile facilities 356 345 350 77         Provided over UNE-L obtained from unaffiliated entity 129 133 125 78         Provided over other services obtained from unaffiliated entity 226 226 224 79 Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service provided to unaffiliated carriers for resale 42 40 37 80         Wholesale lines 41 38 37 81         UNE-L 10 11 10 82 Local exchange telephone service and long-distance service 1,026 1,026 1,040 83     Consumer-grade service 921 918 927 84         Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 677 666 668 85         Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 681 689 687 86         Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 372 357 353 87         Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 271 279 275 88     Business & Government-grade service 1,005 1,000 1,006 89         Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 675 661 667 90         Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 658 662 655 91         Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 442 430 420 92         Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 321 315 323 93 End user buys local exchange telephone service and Internet access service from same entity 903 900 905 94         End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 711 710 712 95         End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 406 397 392 96 End user buys interconnected VoIP and Internet access service from same entity 567 553 521 97         End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 74 70 65 98         End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 538 522 493             U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 11 U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 12 Technical Notes General Detailed information about the current Form 477 reporting requirements is available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/form-477-resources-filers#block-menu-block-4. See Glossary for definitions of terms used in this report. Counting lines and subscribers ? Form 477 counts both switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions as the maximum number of calls that may be active, simultaneously, from the end user’s location under the purchased service plan. All VoIP subscriptions discussed in this report are interconnected VoIP subscriptions. ? Form 477 data may not count all VoIP phone connections to Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange (IP PBX) equipment that is owned by business end users because of the variety of ways the IP PBX may connect to the public switched telephone network. Holding company-subsidiary relationships ? When counting service providers that report voice telephone service in a particular geography, we count a holding company or common-control entity no more than once in any specified sub- category of total providers. ? Nationwide counts of providers are unique counts for any specified sub-category of total providers (for example, all non-ILECs or all interconnected VoIP providers); an entity operating in multiple states is counted only once. ILEC-CLEC affiliations ? If a CLEC is affiliated with an ILEC and reports some end-user switched access lines or interconnected VoIP subscriptions in the ILEC’s service area in the state, then the switched access lines or interconnected VoIP subscriptions reported by the CLEC are allocated between the ILEC and non-ILEC categories based on staff estimates. Mobile voice subscriptions ? Commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) carriers that own or operate wireless networks report both their retail voice service subscriptions and the retail subscriptions of the mobile voice service resellers that use their network. Mobile voice service resellers do not file Form 477. UNE-Platform lines replaced by commercial agreements ? UNE-Platform (UNE-P) was the combination of ILEC loop UNE, switching UNE, and transport UNE. The Commission directed CLECs to migrate their retail customers served by UNE-P to an alternative arrangement within 12 months of the effective date of the Triennial Review Remand Order, that is, by March 11, 2006. See C.F.R. § 51.319(d)(2)(ii). Such lines are reported on Form 477 as ILEC wholesale lines provided to unaffiliated providers for resale. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 13 Glossary Term Definition All Other interconnected VoIP Interconnected VoIP service other than OTT interconnected VoIP. (See the definition of OTT VoIP, below.) Circuit switching A method of completing electronic communications in which a transmission path is established for dedicated use by a communication; the basis of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Coaxial cable The technology widely used by cable system operators to terminate their services at the end user’s premises. Copper local loop The technology widely used by telephone companies to terminate their service at the end user’s premises. CLEC Competitive Local Exchange Carrier: A local exchange carrier (LEC) that operates within the traditional service area of an unaffiliated incumbent LEC. End users Residential, business, institutional, or government entities that use services for their own purposes and who do not resell such services to other entities. Fixed wireless service A radio communication service between specified fixed points. FTTP or FTTH Fiber to the Premises (Home): A network access architecture in which optical fiber is deployed all the way to the customer’s premises (home). Internet access service Service that provides end users access to the Internet. ILEC Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier: A company or cooperative that was providing telephone service in a localized area, typically on a monopoly basis, prior to enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Internet protocol or IP A language and set of formal rules that govern how packets transit the Internet. Interconnected VoIP or iVoIP A service that enables real-time, two-way voice communications; requires a broadband connection from the user’s location; requires Internet- protocol compatible customer premises equipment; and permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network. LEC Local Exchange Carrier: A company that provides telephone service within a localized area and access services that connect its customers to long-distance (Interexchange Carrier) networks. Local loop The physical connection between the customer’s premises and the telephone company’s local switching office, typically provided using copper, fiber, or a combination of copper and fiber facilities. Mobile wireless service A radio communication service between mobile and fixed stations, or between mobile stations. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 14 Non-ILEC Any provider of communications services who does not have ILEC regulatory status. A voice-service affiliate of an ILEC that is operating outside the ILEC’s traditional service area (“study area”) is a Non-ILEC. OTT interconnected VoIP Over-the-top interconnected VoIP: Service delivered to the end-user customer’s premises over a high-capacity connection that the customer obtains (that is, buys), or has the use of, from an entity not affiliated with the interconnected VoIP service provider. (Colloquially, “bring-your- own-broadband.”) PBX Private Branch Exchange: A communications switch that is owned or leased by the service provider’s end-user customer and generally located on the customer’s premises. Packet switching A method of completing electronic communications in which the information is disassembled into discrete packets that are transmitted independently and later reassembled; IP is an example. Retail wireline voice telephone service Switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions for which an end user is the customer. Switched access line A service connection between an end user and the local telephone company’s switch; the basis of plain old telephone service (POTS). UNE Unbundled Network Element: A physical or functional element of an ILEC network that must be provided to a CLEC at a cost-based price, as provide for in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. UNE-L UNE-Loop: An ILEC unbundled local loop provided to a CLEC at a cost-based price. Wholesale switched access lines Local telephone service provided to an unaffiliated telephone company, which resells the service to end users; typically provided by an ILEC to a CLEC. Customer Response Publication: Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2015 You can help us provide the best possible information to the public by completing this form and returning it to the Industry Analysis and Technology Division of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau. 1. Please check the category that best describes you: ____ press ____ current telecommunications carrier ____ potential telecommunications carrier ____ business customer evaluating vendors/service options ____ consultant, law firm, lobbyist ____ other business customer ____ academic/student ____ residential customer ____ FCC employee ____ other federal government employee ____ state or local government employee ____ Other (please specify) 2. 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