"We'll include the equipment" sounds generous. Often it just means the cost is folded into your monthly rate \xE2\x80\x94 and you keep paying long after the hardware is paid off.
How Equipment Costs Hide
- Monthly rental: a recurring fee for a router/modem that, over a 3-year term, can exceed the cost of buying it outright.
- Bundled into MRC: "free" gear baked into a higher monthly rate that never drops.
- Managed-service markups for devices the carrier controls.
Do the math: a $15\xE2\x80\x93$30/month equipment fee is $540\xE2\x80\x93$1,080 over three years \xE2\x80\x94 often more than buying comparable business-grade gear you own.
When Carrier Equipment Makes Sense
It's not always bad. If you lack IT staff, a managed device the carrier maintains and replaces can be worth the fee. The point is to know what you're paying and decide deliberately \xE2\x80\x94 not discover a rental line you forgot about. See routers and firewalls guide.
Check Your Bill
Equipment fees are a classic line item to review \xE2\x80\x94 sometimes for hardware you replaced years ago. Our bill audit and free bill review catch exactly this. See also hidden fees in contracts.
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