Industry Information

The Ohio Telecom Association represents 41 traditional telecommunications service providers operating in the state.  These Incumbent Local Exchange Companies, or ILEC’s, range from serving a few hundred customers to millions of households across Ohio.  The OTA also represents three wireless carriers and more than 100 associate members who provide goods and services to the telecommunications industry.  These telecom companies employ more than 16,000 Ohio citizens and contribute more than $4 billion annually to Ohio’s economy through investments in telecommunications infrastructure, payroll, taxes, goods and services and philanthropy to maintain a state-of-the-art network for Ohioans.

Ohio’s Rural Telecommunications Providers are small local businesses that
provide telephone, video and broadband Internet via DSL, Fiber Optics and Fixed Wireless services to remote rural customers in Ohio. These businesses, serving anywhere from a few-hundred telephone lines to 20,000 lines, are a vital part of Ohio’s infrastructure and economy.

The small independent local exchange carriers serve approximately 2.5% of
Ohio’s lines. Traditional home telephone service is in decline, rapidly being replaced by Cellular, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet communications, such as Skype. With this demand for local phone service eroding, the small carriers are expanding to compete in new markets and diversifying to offer other telecom services. They have been aggressive in deploying broadband investment and have achieved 99% broadband coverage. Their networks include more thab 3,000 miles of fiber optic cable.

Although small, these businesses employ more than 500 Ohioans and contribute
millions of dollars to Ohio’s economy through investments in telecommunications
infrastructure, payroll, taxes, goods and services and philanthropy to maintain a state-of-the-art network for Ohioans. 

Telecommunications is a dynamic industry that continues to change the way we
live, work and play. Competition is real, and it is driving telecom innovation in Ohio. The network that first brought consumers voice service and a home telephone that was the only connection to the world, has emerged to accommodate data communications. Consumers are constantly demanding new products and applications, and want more and more choices.

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