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Many small and regional companies lease fiber optic network capacity from large carriers.

Some smaller companies own switches connected to the fiber networks that route calls. Other small companies own no equipment of their own and are simply pure resellers.

These small companies buy excess capacity in bulk at steep discounts. They pay the larger companies a fixed price for guaranteed capacity. They establish an administrative presence for their customers, often on the Internet.

The larger companies monitor call usage and pass this information on to the smaller companies. The smaller companies then issue bills to individual customers at relatively low rates. To keep costs down, these bills are normally viewable on the Internet and payable by credit card.

Many of the smaller companies operate nationwide. They do not directly represent the larger companies.

Though some small companies, for example, may sell long distance that uses the AT&T network, they are not allowed to mention AT&T in their advertising. If they sold AT&T long distance, they would have to charge higher AT&T prices.

Who are the large companies that have these efficient networks? Most are familiar names and have nationwide or regional optical networks. Some are known only regionally. But, all sell excess capacity in bulk to various resellers.

Changing your long distance carrier nearly always means receiving the same high quality connections you are used to, but at almost half the price.