Today, there are a number of companies that offer telephone services to Australian businesses. They range from the traditional Carriers like Telstra, Optus and Primus (who have their own network of switching equipment), and network services providers who resell services from the traditional carriers.

Most businesses are contacted regularly by these telephone companies to either switch to their services, or to sign up to a new contact for another fixed term. Telephone company bills are quite complex and costs vary with the specific calling patterns of your business. In fact, around 10% of telephone bills are incorrect especially for the newer, more complex services. The decision to switch telephone companies is difficult, as the proposals are presented in the most favourable light and neglect to highlight extra costs that may be incurred. The following information is designed to help you assess a proposal from a telephone company.

Business users usually have three components to their telephone bill:

1. Voice or fixed-wire services — covers your local and long distance calls.
2. Mobile services — for mobile phones which now covert both voice and data.
3. Data services — your Internet services and data connections between branches.