In the past, office phones were connected by copper wire, and the whole process of long-distance calling was super hectic and expensive. However, nowadays, long-distance calling is much more efficient, less expensive, and faster.
A long-distance call is also known as a trunk call. It is a call made to a location outside the defined local area. There are two types of international calls, interstate, and international calls. Interstate calls are the calls between two different states while international calls are between two countries.
Community Phone is best home phone service provider for long distance calls. You can stay in touch with friends and family anywhere in the US with unlimited minutes without fearing a massive phone bill. In addition, you can call 229 countries worldwide with Community Phone’s cheaper international calling rates.
In this guide, we will answer all your questions regarding long-distance calling, including what long-distance calling is, how it works, and much more.
So let’s dive in!
How Does Long Distance Calling Work?
Whenever a person makes a long-distance call, a significant amount of computer technology works behind it to make it happen. Contrary to earlier times, making a long-distance call is much easier, safer, and faster.
The most significant difference is that copper wires do not connect offices and phones; instead, cell phone towers, internet connections and fiber optics cable, are used to connect callers. You do not need phone operators to transfer your call to the designated person.
Today, when you make a long-distance call, the local office switches access to a database containing a record of each connected number. The database has a PIC code (short for Primary Interexchange Carrier Code,) which exhibits the long-distance carrier for your call. When you switch long-distance carriers, the PIC code varies with it.
The switch works with a PIC code for your number and then connects it to a long-distance switch for your carrier. Then your long-distance carrier switches route the call to your friend’s local carrier, completing the call.
This entire complicated transaction might seem time-taking, but with billions of dollars worth of technology, wires, computers, fiber-optic cables, and switches, it all happens in a blink.
How to Make A Long Distance Call on Landline?
Landline calls are usually higher quality than cell phone calls. Landlines can be amazingly convenient when making a long call. Routine landline calls are handled over the provider’s network and charged at the usual long-distance rates.
You can even make a free long-distance call by generating it from another service and patching it on your landline. The call won’t be on a landline for the entire distance, but, overall, you will get the hang of long-distance calls from your home phone.
Long-Distance Domestic Calls
Here’s how to make long-distance domestic calls:
Step 1: Check for Dial Tone
Pick up your phone’s receiver and check for a dial tone. If you don’t hear a tone, someone might be using the phone, or service is interrupted.
Step 2: Dial 1 to Make a US Call
Dial 1 and then make a call to a location within the US; it will be an interstate long-distance call.
Step 3: Dial the Area Code & Number
Then dial the three-digit area code and input the seven-digit phone number after it.
Your domestic long-distance call is done.
International Long-Distance Calls
Step 1: Check the Dial tone
Check the dial tone and then dial 011.
Step 2: Input Country and City Code
After dialing 011, input the country and city code. Every country and sometimes city has a unique code. Make sure to use the correct code.
Step 3: Dial the Phone Number
Complete the call by dialing the phone number. Without dialing 011, the country code, and city code, the phone number will not work, and you won’t be able to make a call.
A reliable and affordable long-distance provider is a must for frequent long-distance calls. Whether you need a long-distance service for personal use or business, CommunityPhone will provide you with a perfect plan.
Long Distance Calling With Community Phone
Community Phone is the cheapest home phone service across the United States. Unlike other service providers, it is a wireless service operating off cell towers. Community Phone offers easy internet-free and affordable long-distance calling services to its customers.
When you sign up with Community Phone, you can make:
- Unlimited long-distance calls across the United States
- International calls to 229 countries at competitive and cheap rates.
Unlimited Long Distance Calls With Community Phone
When you sign up with Community Phone with the unlimited talk and text plan, you get unlimited calling minutes. You can stay in touch with friends and family anywhere in the US with unlimited minutes without fearing a massive phone bill.
You can call 229 countries worldwide with Community Phone’s cheaper international calling rates. All you need to do is sign up with Community Phone.
The price per minute for each country mostly depends on the region within the country you’re calling. You can determine the price per minute for the call by calling 617-841-7444 before you’re connected.
Community Phone offers unique benefits at an affordable price and makes your business communications as easy as possible.
What is Considered Long Distance Calling?
In telecommunications, a long-distance call is also known as a trunk call. It is a call made to a location outside the defined local area. Long-distance calls often require switching centers to connect and may charge more than local calls.
However, long-distance is not necessarily synonymous with placing calls to other calling area codes.
Following are the two types of long-distance calling:
1. Interstate Calls
Interstate calls are the calls between two different states. Such calls may include interLATA (between two Local Transport and Access Areas) and intraLATA (inside a particular Local Transport and Access Area) calls.
2. International Calls
International calls are calls made between two different countries. International gateway exchanges process international telephone calls. Initially, these charges were high but declined after the technology liberalization.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are a local landline long-distance caller, here are answers to all your queries.
Do I need to have a long-distance carrier on my landline?
As a landline phone customer, you can have all your services provided by the local service carrier or toll service provided by a single carrier. For instance, you can choose to have your local and toll services delivered by a carrier or the long-distance service provided by another carrier.
Do phone companies still charge for long distances?
Long-distance calling typically has higher charges than local ones. However, the long-distance calling prices have gotten so low with the technological development.
Is calling a cellphone from a landline considered long distance?
If you call outside your local area code, you are making a long-distance call. However, calling a cellphone from a landline within your area code wouldn’t be considered a long-distance code.
All area codes are three digits long with seven digits phone numbers. Landlines and cell phones are assigned numbers the same way.
What are LATA, interLATA, and intraLATA?
LATA is short for Local Transport and Access Area. It refers to a local and contiguous geographical area.
Therefore, intraLATA means an area inside a particular LATA—your local calling area. A LATA covers an entire state, so all calls within a state are considered local. Especially for small states.
On the other hand, interLATA means calls between 2 LATAs. These two LATAs can be between countries, states, and continents; hence, international distance calls.
What’s the difference between “intrastate” and “interstate?”
Interstate calling is between two states, including intraLATA and interLATA calls. At the same time, intrastate refers to calls between two points in the same state, which may include interLATA and intraLATA calls.
Bottom Line
Community Phones is one of the best home phones in the market for long distance calling. You may already have a long-distance calling system for your business, but now is the best time to upgrade it. Long-distance calling is more complex than it seems. With Community Phones’ internet-free, copper wire-free, voicemail transcription, call-routing, and user-friendly services, you can take long-distance calling to the next level.