A telephone company (also known as a telco, telecommunications operator, communications service provider, or CSP) is a service provider of telecommunications services such as telephony and data communications access. Many were at one time nationalized or state-regulated monopolies. These monopolies are often referred to, primarily in Europe, as Postal Telegraph and Telephones (PTTs).
Telephone companies are common carriers, and in the United States are also called local exchange carriers. With the advent of mobile telephony, telephone companies now include wireless carriers, or mobile network operators.
Most telephone companies now also function as internet service providers (ISPs), and the distinction between a telephone company and an ISP may disappear completely over time, as the current trend for supplier convergence in the industry continues.
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