Commissions directly from the operator services provider

In many markets, the site owner can choose the long-distance provider for each payphone on the premise, even if the physical payphone is owned by the local phone company. Another way to impact your bottom line with payphones is to negotiate a separate commission agreement directly with a long-distance carrier. The local phone company still provides the payphone, whether or not you pay for it each month.

In this case, the long-distance carrier is functioning as an operator services provider (OSP). The OSP handles most operator-assisted calls, and the site owner is paid a monthly commission by the OSP. The commission rate is 5% to 25% of the operator-assisted calls only; the local carrier keeps all the coin revenue.