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An inter-exchange carrier (IXC) is a telephone company providing connections between local exchanges in different geographic areas. They also provide local access and transport area services as per the Telecommunication Act of 1996. They are commonly referred to as long distance carriers.
Techopedia Explains Interexchange Carrier
U.S. legal and regulatory term used by telecommunication companies for long distance telephone Companies including MCI, Sprint and formerly AT&T. They are defined as any carriers providing local access and transport area (LATA) communication.
An IXC provides service between local exchange carriers (LECs), which are incumbent carriers formed by the breakup of AT&T or competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) operating as competitive carriers in same area as the LEC. An IXC colocates equipment at LEC facilities and taps LEC switching equipment allowing LEC customers to make long distance calls across the IXC network. Every LEC provides interexchange carriers with an access point referred to as a point-of-presence.
