Updated November 2026
The short version
- An audit puts every telecom bill, line and contract side by side, so nothing is reviewed on its own.
- Waste hides in lines nobody uses, services billed twice, contracts that renewed without review and charges that do not match the service.
- POTS lines for elevators and alarms need care: confirm what each one supports before it is replaced or canceled.
- 5x5's proposals typically save $500 to $3,000 a month, and you see the savings before you commit.
What a telecom expense audit is
Most buildings pay for internet, phone and POTS lines, vendor networks and service contracts that were added one at a time. The bills often arrive from different providers and land with different people, so no one sees the full picture. An audit gathers all of it, matches every charge to a real service and asks whether the building still needs it at that price.
You may also see the term telecom expense management (TEM). It usually refers to ongoing software and services that track telecom invoices, inventory and contracts. An audit is the review itself: a full look at what you pay today and what you could pay instead.
What gets audited
A complete audit covers every internet and telecom related expense, not just the phone bill:
- Internet service and circuits
- What we look for: Price and capacity against what the site uses, and circuits still billed at empty or closed spaces
- Phone lines and voice service
- What we look for: Lines with no calls and features paid for but not used
- POTS lines
- What we look for: Every copper line, what it connects to and what it costs each month
- Alarm, elevator and building system lines
- What we look for: Which system each line serves and how it can move to a modern connection
- Vendor networks
- What we look for: Separate connections that building system vendors run for cameras, access control, HVAC controls and elevators
- Unused lines
- What we look for: Services still billed after a tenant, system or office is gone
- Duplicate services
- What we look for: Two providers, or two lines, doing the same job
- Contract terms
- What we look for: Term length, renewal dates, early termination fees and price changes
- Taxes, fees and surcharges
- What we look for: Charges that do not match the service or the address it is billed to
Common sources of waste
- Lines nobody can identify. Phone and data lines often outlast the tenant, system or project they were ordered for, and keep billing every month.
- Services billed twice. A line moves to a new provider, but the old service is never canceled.
- Copper POTS lines. The FCC says aging copper lines are costly to maintain and increasingly difficult to repair, and providers are retiring them. Carriers are also raising prices on the POTS lines that remain.
- Separate vendor networks. Cameras, access control, HVAC controls and elevators can each have their own connection and their own bill.
- Contracts that renew without review. A service bought years ago may still be billed at the old rate after the term ends.
- Vague charges. The FCC advises checking phone bills for charges described only in general terms, such as "service fee" or "other fees", and asking the company to explain any you do not recognize.
- Taxes and fees that do not fit. State and local governments can tax phone service, and wireline, wireless and interconnected VoIP providers all contribute to the federal Universal Service Fund. Each tax and fee on a bill should match the service and its address.
How the audit and proposal work
- You share recent invoices, contracts and a list of the building's systems.
- We review every internet and telecom related expense and match each line, circuit and service to what it does and where it is.
- For POTS lines, we confirm what each system needs with your elevator, alarm and monitoring vendors and your local inspector.
- We design a solution for the building, such as one managed network in place of separate vendor networks and new connections in place of POTS lines.
- The proposal puts your current costs next to the 5x5 solution, so you can see what the building saves before you decide.
Savings depend on each building's current services and contracts. You see them in the proposal before you commit.
What you need to provide
- Recent invoices from every internet and telecom provider
- Why it helps: Shows what you pay, line by line, including taxes and fees
- Service contracts and agreements
- Why it helps: Shows term length, renewal dates and any early termination fees
- A list of building systems
- Why it helps: Elevator phones, fire and security alarm panels, water and leak sensors, emergency call boxes, intercoms and gate phones, cameras and access control, so every line can be matched to a system
- Vendor contacts
- Why it helps: Elevator, alarm monitoring and other vendors who maintain systems that use a line
- A site contact
- Why it helps: Someone who can give access to phone and equipment rooms
Missing some of it? Start with the invoices. Lines and services nobody can account for are part of what the audit finds.
Who an audit helps
Building owners and property managers
- Lower building operating costs
- POTS lines for elevators, fire alarms and other building systems moved to modern connections
- Separate vendor networks brought onto one network that 5x5 secures, monitors and manages
- Better services for tenants from one provider
Businesses
- Internet, phone and data lines across one office or many
- Lines left over from office moves or old phone systems
- Internet, voice, managed IT and cybersecurity from one provider and one support team
What happens after the audit
If you go ahead, 5x5 puts the proposed solution in place. For POTS lines, we replace each line with the right combination of VoIP adapters, cellular, LTE, 5G and internet connections, with battery backup, and work with your existing monitoring company. Every system is tested before its POTS line is canceled, so nothing critical loses its connection.
Old services are canceled only once their replacements are working. From then on, our US-based team supports the building's services. During business hours, every ticket gets a first reply within 60 minutes. Outside business hours, including weekends and holidays, emergencies get the same 60-minute first reply.
How 5x5 Telecom can help
5x5 Telecom audits all of a building's internet and telecom related expenses, including internet service, phone and POTS lines, vendor networks and service contracts, then proposes a solution that typically saves $500 to $3,000 a month, or $6,000 to $36,000 a year. The proposal shows your current costs next to the 5x5 solution before you decide.
We provide the services that replace what you pay for today: enterprise internet, voice, POTS line replacement, managed IT, cybersecurity and one secure network for building systems. Our support team is US-based. During business hours, every ticket gets a first reply within 60 minutes. Outside business hours, including weekends and holidays, emergencies get the same 60-minute first reply. Request a telecom expense audit, or call (866) 595-8353.
