Consumer long-distance has become such a commodity that businesses from Costco to American Express are reselling it at pennies a minute. Some analysts expect Sprint to issue a similar tracking stock Friday. You just might not recognize it. Mirroring wireless plans, some offers already include a bucket of minutes for local or long-distance. Most will do so in three to 10 years, experts say.
Some carriers agree.
Amyot and his peers say a la carte long-distance will always be around. But in several years, experts say few carriers will push it, instead emphasizing higher-margin bundles. Business long-distance is also declining, though not as rapidly, and it's supplemented with robust growth in data services. Yet if one-stop shopping is the holy grail, analysts worry that the Bells, with their huge customer bases and direct pipes into homes, are poised to become the monopoly providers. That could drive up prices.