ILEC stands for incumbent local exchange carrier. It designates the traditional telecommunications operator that historically held a regional monopoly on landline services and physical copper infrastructure. Following deregulation, these legacy companies were required to lease their lines and facilities to newer competitors at wholesale rates.
We've to wait on the ILEC to dispatch a tech before we can light up the new fiber at that address.
In the US, ILECs are typically the former Baby Bells or large independent telcos like CenturyLink.
Do not mix it up with
- CLEC: An ILEC is the original monopoly telephone company, while a CLEC is a newer competitor that often leases lines from the ILEC.
Related terms
CLEC
A competitive local exchange carrier is a telecom provider competing with the established regional telephone company.
LEC
A regulatory term for a local telephone company that provides service within a specific geographic area.
PSTN
The global infrastructure of circuit-switched telephone networks operated by national and regional carriers.
Local loop
The physical wiring connecting a customer premises to the nearest telephone exchange.