Local exchange carrier

A local exchange carrier ( TNB; . Engl Local Exchange Carrier, LEC) is an operator of local networks for telephony, the participant connects to its network, thereby providing network connections.

Usually marketed such a network operator telephone lines directly to the participants and acts as the telephone company; then it is a landline provider, full access provider or direct connection provider.

In Germany, the German Telekom is an established operator of formerly run as a state monopoly telephone network by far the heaviest and only dominant TNB.

After the market liberalization in recent years, recently went on the market TNB as Arcor or HanseNet ( "alternative TNB ," engl. " Competitive LEC " or CLEC ) generally rent the unbundled last mile of the incumbent local exchange carrier as an input to connect their customers to their own local exchanges, the transfer of the lines is usually carried out at the main distribution site.

Vendors placed in the Central Office no conventional switching technology but only DSLAMs entertain ( eg to line sharing or provider of NGN terminals or data-only ports) are denoted by the English term Data LEC or CLEC Data.

Relation to long distance providers

Unlike active in the local network operators are called companies that provide local area network across remote connections, network operator ( DNO; . Engl IXCs = Interexchange Carrier).

In the U.S., the LECs set primarily composed of the regional monopoly providers of voice services, the so-called "Baby Bells" that after the reorganization and liberalization of the U.S. telephone market in the 70s from the former "Mama" Bell Telephone Company and AT & T emerged. These are referred to as incumbent LECs, or ILECs.

In European phone networks which took place in the course of that reorganization of the market in the U.S. splitting into ILECs ( Baby Bells ) and IXCs has not been implemented - and, accordingly, the European TNB are usually as VNB present in the market; distinguish their respective roles as TNB and DSOs is done in Europe for the purpose of market regulation.