Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Industry Analysis Division Office of Economics and Analytics August 2023 This report is available for reference in the FCC’s Reference Information Center, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. Copies may be purchased by contacting Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 45 L Street NE, 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 www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone-services-report. To discuss the information in this report, please call (202) 418-0940 or send an e-mail to OEA-IADreports@fcc.gov. 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, 2018-2021 ........................................................ 2 Figure 2 Wireline Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections by Technology, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2021 ............................................ 3 Retail Service Relationships ............................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 3 Interconnected VoIP Subscribership by Reported Service Features, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2021 ............................................ 5 Figure 4 Retail Relationships of Wireline Voice Telephone Service with Internet Access Service by Regulatory Status as of December 31, 2021 .................................. 6 Detailed Voice Telephone Services Data ........................................................................................................ 7 Table 1 Voice Subscriptions – Total for the United States .................................................................... 8 Table 2 Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions – Total for the United States ............... 10 Table 3 Residential Wireline Voice Telephone Service Connections and Households by State as of December 31, 2021 ........................................................................................... 12 Table 4 Mobile Voice Telephone Service Subscriptions and Population by State as of December 31, 2021 ........................................................................................... 13 Technical Notes ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................ 15 Materials Available on the FCC Website (https://www.fcc.gov/voice-telephone-services-report) Table 1 Voice Subscriptions – Total for the United States Table 2 Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions – Total for the United States Table 3 Residential Wireline Voice Telephone Service Connections and Households by State as of December 31, 2021 Table 4 Mobile Voice Telephone Service Subscriptions and Population by State as of December 31, 2021 Table S.1 Voice Subscriptions – State Table S.2 Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions – State Table S.3 Fixed Voice Subscriptions – County Table S.4 Voice Subscriptions – Back to 2008 Table S.5 Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions – Back to 2014 Table S.6 Crosswalk to Local Telephone Competition: Status as of December 31, 2013 report Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Introduction The Commission has used FCC Form 477 to collect subscribership information from providers of voice telephone services – incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), and mobile voice providers – since December 1999.1 The Commission has required interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“interconnected VoIP”) service providers to report subscribership information since December 2008.2 Also, starting with the data reported for 2014, FCC Form 477 has been modified to distinguish “over-the-top” (colloquially, “bring your own broadband”) interconnected VoIP subscriptions from other interconnected VoIP subscriptions.3 Comparison to Local Telephone Competition Report This report was previously titled Local Telephone Competition. Reports under the earlier title summarized FCC 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 An Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier is an entity that was providing local exchange telephone service in a particular area on February 8, 1996, the date on which the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was enacted into law. See 47 C.F.R. § 51.5. 2 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; 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 certain VoIP services (e.g., those offered by Skype) and subscribers to those services are not reported on FCC Form 477. 3 The Technical Notes and the Glossary that appear at the end of this report provide more-detailed information about the current FCC Form 477 and the meaning of terms used in this report. To be consistent with modifications to FCC Form 477 adopted in 2013 (to be effective for reporting June 2014 and later data), this report no longer uses the terms “standalone VoIP” and “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. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 1 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 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.4  In December 2021, there were 29 million end-user switched access lines in service, 68 million interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 362 million mobile subscriptions, for a total of 459 million retail voice telephone service connections in the United States. See Figure 1.  Over the three-year period presented in Figure 1, interconnected VoIP subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 0.4%, mobile voice subscriptions increased at a compound annual growth rate of 1.3%, and retail switched access lines declined at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2% per year.5 Figure 1 Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections, 2018 - 2021 (in thousands) 500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 Dec 2018 Jun 2019 Dec 2019 Jun 2020 Dec 2020 Jun 2021 Dec 2021 Mobile Voice Subscriptions 348,242 351,474 355,763 348,234 352,522 357,225 361,675 Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions 66,817 66,531 68,032 67,837 67,378 67,118 67,716 Retail Switched Access Lines 43,515 41,224 38,742 36,796 34,422 32,471 29,499 Note: Some previously published data may have been updated as FCC Form 477 filers revise their data.  Of the 97 million wireline retail voice telephone service connections (including both switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions) in December 2021, 43 million (or 44%) were residential connections and 54 million (or 56%) were business connections.6 See Figure 2.  We believe mobile voice subscriptions decreased by 2% between December 2019 and June 2020 due to a change in accounting procedures by one or more providers. 4 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. 5 The compound annual growth rate 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. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 2 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Figure 2 Wireline Retail Voice Telephone Service Connections by Technology, Regulatory Status, And Customer Type as of December 31, 2021 (in thousands) Total Switched Access Interconnected Total Lines VoIP ILEC 23,067 10,913 33,980 Non-ILEC 6,432 56,803 63,235 Total 29,499 67,716 97,215 Residential ILEC 11,202 6,272 17,474 Non-ILEC 705 24,749 25,455 Residential Total 11,907 31,021 42,928 Business ILEC 11,865 4,641 16,506 Non-ILEC 5,726 32,054 37,780 Business Total 17,592 36,695 54,286 Note: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. A voice-service affiliate of an ILEC that is operating outside of the ILEC’s traditional service area (“study area”) is a Non-ILEC. Residential ILEC, VoIP, 14.6 % ILEC, Switched, 26.1 % Non-ILEC, Switched, 1.6 % Non-ILEC, VoIP, 57.7 % Business ILEC, VoIP, 8.5% ILEC, Switched, 21.9% Non-ILEC, Switched, 10.5% Non-ILEC, VoIP, 59.0% U.S. Federal Communications Commission 3 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021  Cross-classified by technology and the retailer’s regulatory status in Figure 2, the 43 million wireline residential connections in December 2021 were: 26.1% ILEC switched access lines, 57.7% non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 14.6% ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 1.6% non-ILEC switched access lines. Similarly, the 54 million wireline business connections were: 21.9% ILEC switched access lines, 59.0% non-ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, 8.5% ILEC interconnected VoIP subscriptions, and 10.5% non-ILEC switched access lines. Retail Service Relationships Respondents submit two types of information about retail service relationships on the current FCC Form 477.  Interconnected VoIP service retailers distinguish over-the-top (“OTT”) interconnected VoIP subscriptions— where the end user accesses the service using a broadband connection from an entity that is not affiliated with the VoIP service retailer—from all other interconnected VoIP subscriptions.7 See Figure 3.  Retailers of switched access lines and retailers of interconnected VoIP service distinguish between sales to end users who also purchase Internet access from them (including affiliates) and those who do not. See Figure 4. 7 A broadband connection may or may not provide the end user with internet access. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 4 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Figure 3 Interconnected VoIP Subscribership by Reported Service Features, Regulatory Status, and Customer Type as of December 31, 2021 (in thousands) Total Over-the-Top All Other Total (OTT) VoIP ILEC 57 10,856 10,913 Non-ILEC 17,269 39,534 56,803 Total 17,325 50,391 67,716 Residential ILEC 2 6,270 6,272 Non-ILEC 1,607 23,143 24,749 Residential Total 1,609 29,413 31,021 Business ILEC 55 4,586 4,641 Non-ILEC 15,662 16,392 32,054 Business Total 15,717 20,978 36,695 Note: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. Residential ILEC, All Other, 20.2% Non-ILEC, All Other, 74.6% Non-ILEC, OTT, 5.2% ILEC, OTT, 0.0% Business Non-ILEC, OTT, 42.7% ILEC, All Other, 12.5% ILEC, OTT, 0.1% Non-ILEC, All Other, 44.7% U.S. Federal Communications Commission 5 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Figure 4 Retail Relationships of Wireline Voice Telephone Service with Internet Access Service By Regulatory Status as of December 31, 2021 (in thousands) Total ILEC Non-ILEC Total Switched Access Lines 23,067 6,432 29,499 Over-the-Top VoIP 57 17,269 17,325 All Other VoIP 10,856 39,534 50,391 Total 33,980 63,235 97,215 Sold with Internet Switched Access Lines 8,557 2,351 10,908 Over-the-Top VoIP 0 0 0 All Other VoIP 10,382 34,849 45,231 Total 18,939 37,200 56,139 Sold without Internet Switched Access Lines 14,510 4,081 18,591 Over-the-Top VoIP 57 17,269 17,325 All Other VoIP 474 4,685 5,160 Total 15,041 26,035 41,076 Note: Figures may not sum totals due to rounding. ILEC Only Voice Sold 44.3% Switched Access Lines & Internet 25.2% VoIP & Internet 30.6% Non-ILEC Only Voice Sold 41.2% Switched Access Lines & Internet 3.7% VoIP & Internet 55.1% U.S. Federal Communications Commission 6 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Detailed Voice Telephone Services Data  Table 1 summarizes national-level voice telephone service subscription data for December 2020, and June and December 2021 for individual data elements collected by FCC Form 477.  Table 2 shows the number of entities that reported subscription data for the same time periods.  Table 3 shows residential wireline voice telephone service connections by state for December 2021.  Table 4 shows mobile voice telephone service subscriptions by state for December 2021. Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 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 December 2020)  State-level Number of Providers table in Excel format (data back to December 2020)  County-level Subscription 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 FCC 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 using the complete data series for trend analysis should be aware of the following discontinuities in the data.  Between December 1999 and December 2004, FCC 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 FCC Form 477, but an unknown amount of interconnected VoIP service was included along with the switched access lines reported by some FCC 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.8 8 See footnote 3, above. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 7 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 1. Voice Subscriptions (in thousands) - Total for the United States Dec June Dec Reference Data element 2020 2021 2021 1 Mobile telephony 352,522 357,225 361,675 2   Directly-billed or prepaid 303,547 307,097 322,540 3   Not directly-billed or prepaid 48,974 50,128 39,135 4 Wireline End-User Switched Access Lines and Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions 101,800 99,589 97,215 5   Incumbent LECs 38,353 36,385 33,980 6   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 63,447 63,204 63,235 7   Consumer-grade service 47,674 45,765 42,928 8   Incumbent LECs 20,071 19,016 17,474 9   Other (Non-ILECs) 27,603 26,749 25,455 10   Business & Government-grade service 54,126 53,824 54,286 11   Incumbent LECs 18,282 17,370 16,506 12   Other (Non-ILECs) 35,844 36,455 37,780 13 Local exchange telephone service (Switched Access Lines) 34,422 32,471 29,499 14   Incumbent LECs 26,767 25,286 23,067 15   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 7,655 7,185 6,432 16   Consumer-grade service 13,837 13,148 11,907 17   Incumbent LECs 13,027 12,372 11,202 18   Other (Non-ILECs) 809 776 705 19   Business & Government-grade service 20,585 19,323 17,592 20   Incumbent LECs 13,740 12,914 11,865 21   Other (Non-ILECs) 6,845 6,409 5,726 22 Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions - Note:  Includes both Over-the-top (OTT) and All Other sub-categories. 67,378 67,118 67,716 23   Incumbent LECs 11,586 11,099 10,913 24   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 55,792 56,018 56,803 25   Consumer-grade service 33,837 32,617 31,021 26   Incumbent LECs 7,044 6,644 6,272 27   Other (Non-ILECs) 26,794 25,973 24,749 28   Business & Government-grade service 33,541 34,501 36,695 29   Incumbent LECs 4,542 4,456 4,641 30   Other (Non-ILECs) 28,999 30,045 32,054 31 Over-the-top interconnected VoIP 14,441 15,697 17,325 32   Incumbent LECs 68 69 57 33   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 14,373 15,628 17,269 34   Consumer-grade service 1,960 1,874 1,609 35   Incumbent LECs 1 0 2 36   Other (Non-ILECs) 1,958 1,873 1,607 37   Business & Government-grade service 12,481 13,823 15,717 38   Incumbent LECs 67 69 55 39   Other (Non-ILECs) 12,414 13,755 15,662 40 All Other interconnected VoIP 52,937 51,421 50,391 41   Incumbent LECs 11,518 11,030 10,856 42   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 41,419 40,390 39,534 43   Consumer-grade service 31,877 30,743 29,413 44   Incumbent LECs 7,042 6,643 6,270 45   Other (Non-ILECs) 24,835 24,100 23,143 46   Business & Government-grade service 21,059 20,678 20,978 47   Incumbent LECs 4,475 4,387 4,586 48   Other (Non-ILECs) 16,584 16,291 16,392 49 Local exchange telephone service by last-mile delivery medium 34,422 32,471 29,499 50   Fiber-to-the-premises 4,575 4,660 4,377 51   Incumbent LECs 2,691 2,793 2,626 52   Other (Non-ILECs) 1,884 1,868 1,750 53   Coaxial cable 442 438 406 54   Incumbent LECs 52 66 61 55   Other (Non-ILECs) 391 372 345 U.S. Federal Communications Commission 8 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 1. Voice Subscriptions (in thousands) - Total for the United States Dec June Dec Reference Data element 2020 2021 2021 56   Terrestrial fixed wireless 33 46 22 57   Incumbent LECs 13 13 12 58   Other (Non-ILECs) 20 33 10 59   Copper local loop 29,366 27,327 24,694 60   Incumbent LECs 24,009 22,414 20,367 61   Other (Non-ILECs) 5,357 4,913 4,327 62 All Other interconnected VoIP by last-mile delivery medium 52,937 51,421 50,391 63   Fiber-to-the-premises 8,364 10,277 10,408 64   Incumbent LECs 5,729 5,592 5,512 65   Other (Non-ILECs) 2,635 4,684 4,896 66   Coaxial cable 32,204 29,445 28,055 67   Incumbent LECs 12 16 14 68   Other (Non-ILECs) 32,192 29,429 28,041 69   Terrestrial fixed wireless or satellite 221 226 591 70   Incumbent LECs 0 1 2 71   Other (Non-ILECs) 221 225 590 72   Copper local loop 12,148 11,473 11,336 73   Incumbent LECs 5,777 5,421 5,328 74   Other (Non-ILECs) 6,371 6,052 6,008 75 Non-Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service by means of provisioning 7,655 7,185 6,432 76   Provided over owned last-mile facilities 2,956 2,829 2,588 77   Provided over UNE-L obtained from unaffiliated entity 1,164 1,014 571 78   Provided over other services obtained from unaffiliated entity 3,531 3,342 3,272 79 Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service provided to unaffiliated carriers for resale 3,650 3,368 3,078 80   Wholesale lines 2,466 2,338 2,197 81   UNE-L 1,184 1,030 881 82 Local exchange telephone service and long-distance service 34,422 32,471 29,499 83   Consumer-grade service 13,837 13,148 11,907 84   Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 9,057 8,403 7,445 85   Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 3,970 3,969 3,757 86   Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 663 647 625 87   Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 147 129 81 88   Business & Government-grade service 20,585 19,323 17,592 89   Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 8,232 7,331 6,719 90   Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 5,506 5,583 5,147 91   Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 5,008 4,822 4,416 92   Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 1,834 1,587 1,310 93 End user buys local exchange telephone service and Internet access service from same entity 12,600 12,241 10,908 94   End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 10,021 9,828 8,557 95   End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 2,579 2,413 2,351 96 End user buys interconnected VoIP and Internet access service from same entity 47,608 45,625 45,231 97   End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 11,160 10,077 10,382 98   End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 36,448 35,548 34,849 U.S. Federal Communications Commission 9 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 2. Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions - Total for the United States Dec June Dec Reference Data element 2020 2021 2021 1 Mobile telephony 65 61 60 2   Directly-billed or prepaid 63 58 55 3   Not directly-billed or prepaid 9 10 12 4 Wireline End-User Switched Access Lines and Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions 2,191 2,261 2,299 5   Incumbent LECs 713 711 707 6   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 1,814 1,893 1,937 7   Consumer-grade service 1,319 1,314 1,314 8   Incumbent LECs 712 711 707 9   Other (Non-ILECs) 932 934 940 10   Business & Government-grade service 2,087 2,180 2,225 11   Incumbent LECs 710 708 704 12   Other (Non-ILECs) 1,708 1,804 1,858 13 Local exchange telephone service (Switched Access Lines) 952 952 937 14   Incumbent LECs 707 707 702 15   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 507 511 497 16   Consumer-grade service 856 861 837 17   Incumbent LECs 707 707 702 18   Other (Non-ILECs) 401 408 386 19   Business & Government-grade service 939 938 924 20   Incumbent LECs 705 703 698 21   Other (Non-ILECs) 492 495 483 22 Interconnected VoIP Subscriptions - Note:  Includes both Over-the-top (OTT) and All Other sub-categories. 1,670 1,751 1,802 23   Incumbent LECs 167 179 190 24   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 1,606 1,681 1,733 25   Consumer-grade service 713 719 741 26   Incumbent LECs 92 102 113 27   Other (Non-ILECs) 664 664 682 28   Business & Government-grade service 1,564 1,665 1,725 29   Incumbent LECs 161 175 183 30   Other (Non-ILECs) 1,502 1,594 1,657 31 Over-the-top interconnected VoIP 1,071 1,190 1,223 32   Incumbent LECs 33 39 37 33   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 1,056 1,174 1,208 34   Consumer-grade service 178 214 198 35   Incumbent LECs 9 12 12 36   Other (Non-ILECs) 172 207 192 37   Business & Government-grade service 1,027 1,144 1,186 38   Incumbent LECs 33 38 35 39   Other (Non-ILECs) 1,012 1,129 1,172 40 All Other interconnected VoIP 866 830 855 41   Incumbent LECs 159 167 182 42   Other (Non-ILECs) - Note: ILEC voice-service affiliate operating outside ILEC's study area is included here. 805 765 787 43   Consumer-grade service 595 576 610 44   Incumbent LECs 87 96 107 45   Other (Non-ILECs) 548 524 553 46   Business & Government-grade service 789 773 800 47   Incumbent LECs 153 163 176 48   Other (Non-ILECs) 729 707 732 49 Local exchange telephone service by last-mile delivery medium 952 952 937 50   Fiber-to-the-premises 768 777 768 51   Incumbent LECs 632 633 633 52   Other (Non-ILECs) 375 383 379 53   Coaxial cable 87 88 86 54   Incumbent LECs 23 25 27 55   Other (Non-ILECs) 75 73 70 U.S. Federal Communications Commission 10 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 2. Number of Providers Reporting Voice Subscriptions - Total for the United States Dec June Dec Reference Data element 2020 2021 2021 56   Terrestrial fixed wireless 80 90 74 57   Incumbent LECs 49 50 43 58   Other (Non-ILECs) 47 53 43 59   Copper local loop 706 698 663 60   Incumbent LECs 525 519 490 61   Other (Non-ILECs) 306 301 293 62 All Other interconnected VoIP by last-mile delivery medium 866 830 855 63   Fiber-to-the-premises 600 604 633 64   Incumbent LECs 149 157 172 65   Other (Non-ILECs) 543 544 571 66   Coaxial cable 212 206 193 67   Incumbent LECs 12 14 14 68   Other (Non-ILECs) 205 199 187 69   Terrestrial fixed wireless or satellite 315 286 289 70   Incumbent LECs 12 11 16 71   Other (Non-ILECs) 308 278 279 72   Copper local loop 214 207 214 73   Incumbent LECs 61 65 68 74   Other (Non-ILECs) 182 171 179 75 Non-Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service by means of provisioning 507 511 497 76   Provided over owned last-mile facilities 392 393 378 77   Provided over UNE-L obtained from unaffiliated entity 97 94 87 78   Provided over other services obtained from unaffiliated entity 178 177 171 79 Incumbent LEC local exchange telephone service provided to unaffiliated carriers for resale 23 23 24 80   Wholesale lines 21 20 23 81   UNE-L 11 12 10 82 Local exchange telephone service and long-distance service 952 952 937 83   Consumer-grade service 856 861 837 84   Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 665 661 657 85   Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 658 652 646 86   Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 380 379 362 87   Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 265 277 265 88   Business & Government-grade service 939 938 924 89   Incumbent LEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 664 658 652 90   Incumbent LEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 637 637 630 91   Non-ILEC is preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 456 453 441 92   Non-ILEC is not preferred long-distance carrier for its local exchange service customer 311 322 313 93 End user buys local exchange telephone service and Internet access service from same entity 880 879 860 94   End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 696 697 688 95   End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 440 442 425 96 End user buys interconnected VoIP and Internet access service from same entity 791 768 770 97   End user buys both services from incumbent LEC or affiliates 147 156 167 98   End user buys both services from Non-ILEC or affiliates 734 707 709 U.S. Federal Communications Commission 11 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 3: Residential Wireline Voice Telephone Service Connections and Households by State as of December 31, 2021 (Connections and households, in thousands) Switched Access Interconnected VoIP Total State Households Connections Ratio Connections Ratio Connections Ratio Alabama 1,903 185 0.10 379 0.20 564 0.30 Alaska 261 * * * * 72 0.28 American Samoa 10 5 0.52 - 0.00 5 0.52 Arizona 2,684 185 0.07 426 0.16 612 0.23 Arkansas 1,158 134 0.12 126 0.11 260 0.22 California 13,218 1,138 0.09 3,542 0.27 4,680 0.35 Colorado 2,228 229 0.10 438 0.20 667 0.30 Connecticut 1,397 125 0.09 590 0.42 715 0.51 Delaware 381 25 0.07 184 0.48 210 0.55 District of Columbia 310 23 0.07 77 0.25 100 0.32 Florida 8,157 429 0.05 2,193 0.27 2,622 0.32 Georgia 3,885 419 0.11 815 0.21 1,234 0.32 Guam 42 13 0.31 * * * * Hawaii 478 75 0.16 126 0.26 200 0.42 Idaho 657 89 0.14 40 0.06 129 0.20 Illinois 4,930 354 0.07 1,091 0.22 1,445 0.29 Indiana 2,623 247 0.09 454 0.17 700 0.27 Iowa 1,276 241 0.19 174 0.14 415 0.33 Kansas 1,140 109 0.10 161 0.14 270 0.24 Kentucky 1,748 298 0.17 305 0.17 603 0.34 Louisiana 1,749 144 0.08 321 0.18 465 0.27 Maine 571 101 0.18 158 0.28 260 0.46 Maryland 2,294 175 0.08 879 0.38 1,054 0.46 Massachusetts 2,714 174 0.06 1,201 0.44 1,375 0.51 Michigan 3,977 262 0.07 969 0.24 1,231 0.31 Minnesota 2,229 360 0.16 351 0.16 711 0.32 Mississippi 1,109 101 0.09 145 0.13 246 0.22 Missouri 2,434 229 0.09 448 0.18 678 0.28 Montana 436 84 0.19 72 0.16 156 0.36 Nebraska 767 121 0.16 114 0.15 235 0.31 Nevada 1,142 76 0.07 231 0.20 307 0.27 New Hampshire 540 74 0.14 214 0.40 289 0.53 New Jersey 3,397 192 0.06 1,679 0.49 1,871 0.55 New Mexico 798 131 0.16 97 0.12 228 0.29 New York 7,530 528 0.07 3,139 0.42 3,667 0.49 North Carolina 4,035 445 0.11 992 0.25 1,437 0.36 North Dakota 317 61 0.19 25 0.08 86 0.27 Northern Mariana Islands 16 8 0.50 * * * * Ohio 4,754 478 0.10 1,076 0.23 1,554 0.33 Oklahoma 1,504 128 0.09 195 0.13 324 0.22 Oregon 1,658 184 0.11 323 0.19 507 0.31 Pennsylvania 5,148 608 0.12 1,736 0.34 2,344 0.46 Puerto Rico 1,197 * * * * * * Rhode Island 427 28 0.07 144 0.34 171 0.40 South Carolina 1,976 252 0.13 396 0.20 648 0.33 South Dakota 346 72 0.21 31 0.09 103 0.30 Tennessee 2,665 289 0.11 481 0.18 771 0.29 Texas 10,239 638 0.06 1,748 0.17 2,386 0.23 Utah 1,034 88 0.09 149 0.14 237 0.23 Vermont 263 81 0.31 75 0.29 156 0.59 Virgin Islands 30 9 0.30 0 0.00 9 0.30 Virginia 3,249 324 0.10 938 0.29 1,262 0.39 Washington 2,932 306 0.10 629 0.21 935 0.32 West Virginia 711 175 0.25 167 0.23 342 0.48 Wisconsin 2,402 285 0.12 512 0.21 798 0.33 Wyoming 231 33 0.14 35 0.15 68 0.29 United States 125,305 11,907 0.10 31,021 0.25 42,928 0.34 - = Rounds to Zero; * = Data withheld to maintain firm confidentiality. Notes: Numbers may not sum to totals due to rounding. Total fixed voice connections equal the sum of switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions. We calculate residential fixed voice connections per household using, in the denominator, U.S. household estimates from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year estimates and, for Puerto Rico and the other inhabited island areas, Census 2010 households. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 12 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Table 4: Mobile Voice Telephone Service Subscriptions and Population by State as of December 31, 2021 (Connections and population, in thousands) Directly-Billed Not Directly-Billed Total State Population Subscriptions Ratio Subscriptions Ratio Subscriptions Ratio Alabama 4,998 4,853 0.97 411 0.08 5,265 1.05 Alaska 736 708 0.96 33 0.04 741 1.01 American Samoa 56 * * * * * * Arizona 7,079 6,911 0.98 542 0.08 7,452 1.05 Arkansas 3,006 2,975 0.99 328 0.11 3,303 1.10 California 39,455 40,688 1.03 4,827 0.12 45,515 1.15 Colorado 5,723 5,466 0.96 612 0.11 6,078 1.06 Connecticut 3,605 3,672 1.02 435 0.12 4,107 1.14 Delaware 982 967 0.98 123 0.13 1,090 1.11 District of Columbia 683 1,400 2.05 212 0.31 1,611 2.36 Florida 21,340 20,940 0.98 2,345 0.11 23,285 1.09 Georgia 10,626 10,652 1.00 1,100 0.10 11,753 1.11 Guam 159 126 0.79 94 0.59 220 1.38 Hawaii 1,453 1,463 1.01 148 0.10 1,612 1.11 Idaho 1,812 1,707 0.94 117 0.06 1,824 1.01 Illinois 12,822 12,563 0.98 1,797 0.14 14,360 1.12 Indiana 6,751 5,977 0.89 913 0.14 6,890 1.02 Iowa 3,179 3,058 0.96 187 0.06 3,245 1.02 Kansas 2,932 2,770 0.94 199 0.07 2,969 1.01 Kentucky 4,494 3,960 0.88 591 0.13 4,551 1.01 Louisiana 4,657 4,455 0.96 595 0.13 5,050 1.08 Maine 1,357 1,247 0.92 132 0.10 1,379 1.02 Maryland 6,149 5,991 0.97 699 0.11 6,690 1.09 Massachusetts 6,992 6,876 0.98 823 0.12 7,699 1.10 Michigan 10,063 9,325 0.93 1,370 0.14 10,695 1.06 Minnesota 5,670 5,389 0.95 566 0.10 5,954 1.05 Mississippi 2,967 2,787 0.94 255 0.09 3,042 1.03 Missouri 6,142 5,556 0.90 670 0.11 6,226 1.01 Montana 1,078 1,033 0.96 79 0.07 1,112 1.03 Nebraska 1,951 1,912 0.98 154 0.08 2,066 1.06 Nevada 3,059 2,961 0.97 291 0.10 3,252 1.06 New Hampshire 1,372 1,279 0.93 149 0.11 1,428 1.04 New Jersey 9,234 9,494 1.03 1,201 0.13 10,695 1.16 New Mexico 2,109 2,038 0.97 184 0.09 2,221 1.05 New York 20,115 20,185 1.00 3,368 0.17 23,553 1.17 North Carolina 10,367 9,600 0.93 1,321 0.13 10,921 1.05 North Dakota 773 778 1.01 34 0.04 811 1.05 Northern Mariana Islands 54 * * * * * * Ohio 11,770 11,020 0.94 1,626 0.14 12,646 1.07 Oklahoma 3,948 3,548 0.90 372 0.09 3,920 0.99 Oregon 4,207 4,010 0.95 489 0.12 4,499 1.07 Pennsylvania 12,971 12,135 0.94 1,589 0.12 13,724 1.06 Puerto Rico 3,311 1,708 0.52 1,461 0.44 3,169 0.96 Rhode Island 1,092 1,043 0.96 111 0.10 1,154 1.06 South Carolina 5,079 4,628 0.91 528 0.10 5,156 1.02 South Dakota 882 858 0.97 37 0.04 895 1.01 Tennessee 6,859 6,631 0.97 664 0.10 7,295 1.06 Texas 28,863 28,654 0.99 2,442 0.08 31,096 1.08 Utah 3,231 2,894 0.90 323 0.10 3,217 1.00 Vermont 642 534 0.83 81 0.13 615 0.96 Virgin Islands 106 * * * * * * Virginia 8,582 8,492 0.99 727 0.08 9,219 1.07 Washington 7,617 7,303 0.96 791 0.10 8,095 1.06 West Virginia 1,801 1,404 0.78 206 0.11 1,610 0.89 Wisconsin 5,872 5,179 0.88 683 0.12 5,862 1.00 Wyoming 577 595 1.03 36 0.06 632 1.10 United States 333,412 322,540 0.97 39,135 0.12 361,675 1.08 - = Rounds to Zero; * = Data withheld to maintain firm confidentiality. Notes: Numbers may not sum to totals due to rounding. Directly-billed subscriptions are those where the customer is directly billed by the facilities-based provider. Total mobile voice subscriptions equal the sum of subscriptions that are directly-billed and those that are not. We calculate mobile voice subscriptions per person using, in the denominator, U.S. population estimates from the 2017-2021 ACS 5-year estimates and, for Puerto Rico and the other inhabited island areas, Census 2010 populations. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 13 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Technical Notes Detailed information about the current FCC Form 477 reporting requirements is available at https://www.fcc.gov/general/form-477-resources-filers. Counting lines and subscribers  FCC 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.  FCC 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 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 FCC Form 477.  Providers may assign subscriptions to a particular state based on the area code of the device’s telephone number, or by using some other method that best reflects the subscriber’s location, such as a billing address of the device’s place of primary use address. 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 FCC Form 477 as ILEC wholesale lines provided to unaffiliated providers for resale. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 14 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 Glossary Term Definition All Other interconnected Interconnected VoIP service other than OTT interconnected VoIP. (See VoIP the definition of OTT VoIP, below.) Broadband connection A wired line or wireless channel that terminates at an end-user location and enables the end user to receive information from and/or send information to the Internet at information transfer rates exceeding 200 kilobits per second in at least one direction. 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. 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 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 15 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021 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 Switched access lines and interconnected VoIP subscriptions for which an telephone service 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 Local telephone service provided to an unaffiliated telephone company, lines which resells the service to end users; typically provided by an ILEC to a CLEC. U.S. Federal Communications Commission 16 Voice Telephone Services: Status as of December 31, 2021