Analysis
NAICS 517121 is the 2022 national industry for telecommunications resellers, part of 51712 (Telecommunications Resellers and Agents for Wireless Telecommunication Services). Census lists 9 example activities under it in the official index.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include long-distance telecommunication resellers (except satellite…, microwave telecommunication resellers, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) (except agents) and pre-paid calling cards, telecommunications resellers, among 9 in all.
Census lists 4 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 517122, 517111, 517112 and 517410. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
For example, acting as agents for wireless telecommunications carriers and resellers are classified in 517122 (Agents for Wireless Telecommunications Services) instead.
County Business Patterns publishes no national count for it, either because the code is out of the survey's scope or because the figures are suppressed to protect individual businesses.
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments engaged in purchasing access and network capacity from owners and operators of telecommunications networks and reselling wired and wireless telecommunications services to businesses and households (except satellite telecommunications and agents for wireless telecommunications services). Establishments in this industry resell telecommunications; they do not operate transmission facilities and infrastructure.
Illustrative Examples:
Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) (except agents) Pre-paid calling cards, telecommunications resellers Wired telecommunications resellers Wireless telecommunications resellers (except satellite telecommunications and agents)
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Acting as agents for wireless telecommunications carriers and resellers | 517122 Agents for Wireless Telecommunications Services |
| Operating and maintaining wired telecommunications networks | 517111 Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
| Operating and maintaining wireless telecommunications networks | 517112 Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) |
| Reselling satellite telecommunications services | 517410 Satellite Telecommunications |
Index entries (9)
- Long-distance telecommunication resellers (except satellite telecommunications)
- Microwave telecommunication resellers
- Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) (except agents)
- Pre-paid calling cards, telecommunications resellers
- Resellers, telecommunication (except satellite telecommunications and agents for wireless telecommunications services)
- Telecommunications resellers (except satellite telecommunications and agents for wireless telecommunications services)
- Telephone communications resellers (except satellite telecommunications and agents for wireless telecommunications services)
- Wired telecommunication resellers
- Wireless telecommunications resellers (except satellite telecommunications and agents)