Sometimes, you may find “extra charges” on your phone bill that seem to come out of nowhere. However, when you keenly look at the breakdown of your bill, you will see the Access Charge as part of it. The access charge is for your smartphone to use the network’s Visual Voice Mail service.
The Visual Voice Mail (VVM) service allows you to listen to and view any voice mail that your line receives. Android devices and smartphones mostly pay for the service since Apple devices have built-in features.
What is 4G LTE W/VVM?
Many leading cellular network providers offer 4G LTE coverage to their customers. The network standard offers higher network capacity and an increase in bandwidth capacity. Therefore, the customers can access up to 10 times faster internet speeds than 3G networks.
4G LTE is a standard of 4G network preceding the 5G network since 2009. Nowadays, Android smartphones, iPhones, and other communication devices support the 4G LTE network for faster speeds globally.
When you subscribe to a network carrier, they offer you a line or SIM card to subscribe to their services. You can access unlimited data plans, calls, and voicemail services. However, these services come as separate charges in the total phone bill.
One of these services is the 4G LTE W/VVM, a voicemail service. The primary purpose of this service is to allow you to receive, listen to, and view voicemail messages.
Some network providers offer this feature as an application. For example, T-Mobile does that. The app allows you to listen to and manage voicemail messages by saving or deleting them. You can easily download the app on Google Play for your Android smartphone.
However, the network company will delete messages after some time if you do not save them yourself. You can save the messages to your phone manually.
The 4G W/VVM feature is free for Apple users since they already have the feature available on their phones. Also, Apple users can turn this feature off, but the network providers will still charge access fees as line rent.
Therefore, when subscribing to a network provider, ensure you know how much you will pay for your total phone bill. Whether you turn off the 4G LTEW/VVM feature, the access charge to your line will not change.
Do Network Service Providers Charge for 4G LTE W/VVM?
Since these companies offer the service, all network providers will charge for the 4G LTE W/VVM feature. You will have to get a line from a registered network provider to access the benefits of a 4G LTE network.
Some companies offer separate charges for their data plans, call rates and even 4G LTE w/VVM access.
However, all companies will charge line rent to their customers for calls, data, and voicemail. Line rent is a form of revenue that network carriers charge so that their subscribers can receive stable services. Thus, you cannot access mobile services, such as data, if you do not have a line or pay line rent.
Therefore, it is up to you to select the network carrier you prefer within your budget and needs. Additionally, other rates such as phone insurance and taxes are also parts of your total phone bill.
The access charge for 4G W/VVM is also part of the total phone bill, especially for Android phones.
Therefore, iPhone users will only be required to pay the access charge as line rent aside from other charges. Even if Apple users turn the 4G LTE W/VVM feature off; they will still have to pay the line rent.
Many subscribers may think that there are overcharges, but you should carefully look at your total billing cycle. Most service providers can offer discounts if you bargain for data plans or use an autopay bill option.
For example, AT&T Mobile Company applies this tactic while offering data plans.
Also, the higher your data plan, the lower access fees you will receive (compared to lower data plans). Most service providers do this to attract customers into subscribing to higher data plans.
You should reach out to your carrier support center for further information on your charges.
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a data subscription and an access charge?
A: A data subscription is an amount you pay monthly to receive unlimited data plans according to the amount you pay. An access charge for 4G LTE W/VVM is the amount you pay to your network service provider to access voicemail.
When you subscribe to a network service provider, you must register your line. The line will allow you to receive services such as data, make calls, and send messages. Therefore, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) makes it mandatory for users to pay the line rent.
Line rent is a service charge, especially for those using Apple smartphones since their 4G LTE W/VVM comes free. Thus, it will not be possible to access mobile services without a line or sim card.
Data subscriptions are monthly payments made to your network carrier to receive mobile data. Even though you might not have a data plan, you will still receive calls and messages.
The subscription is paid separately from line rent, access charge, and phone insurance. You might have several lines in your data plan, but the line rent will be separate for each. Thus, it is necessary to check your total phone bill to see the breakdown of the total charges.
Conclusion
The 4G LTE W/VVM is an essential feature in smartphones for Android and iPhone users. It allows you to view, listen to, and manage voicemails on your phone.
However, you will need to pay an access charge to use this service. The fee allows your network service provider to offer these services to their subscribers.
Apple smartphone users have the feature built into their phones, but they will pay for line rent as revenue. This charge is not a data subscription since you cannot use mobile data without paying for your line rent after registration.
Hey, I’m Jeremy Clifford. I hold a bachelor’s degree in information systems, and I’m a certified network specialist. I worked for several internet providers in LA, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Seattle over the past 21 years.
I worked as a customer service operator, field technician, network engineer, and network specialist. During my career in networking, I’ve come across numerous modems, gateways, routers, and other networking hardware. I’ve installed network equipment, fixed it, designed and administrated networks, etc.
Networking is my passion, and I’m eager to share everything I know with you. On this website, you can read my modem and router reviews, as well as various how-to guides designed to help you solve your network problems. I want to liberate you from the fear that most users feel when they have to deal with modem and router settings.
My favorite free-time activities are gaming, movie-watching, and cooking. I also enjoy fishing, although I’m not good at it. What I’m good at is annoying David when we are fishing together. Apparently, you’re not supposed to talk or laugh while fishing – it scares the fishes.
