Offnet

Offnet refers to communication or services that occur outside of a specific network. In the context of telecommunications, "offnet" typically describes calls made from a mobile phone subscriber on one carrier's network to a subscriber on a different carrier's network. For example, if you have a Verizon phone and call a friend who has AT&T, that call is considered an offnet call from Verizon's perspective. Historically, offnet calls often incurred higher per-minute charges than "onnet" calls, which are calls made between subscribers of the same network. Mobile carriers have largely moved away from per-minute billing, so the distinction has become less financially significant for consumers, though the underlying infrastructure distinction remains.

The term can also be applied more broadly to other network-based services. For instance, in enterprise networking, an offnet connection might refer to accessing company resources from a device not connected to the company's internal LAN or VPN, such as using public Wi-Fi. In the realm of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), offnet calls can refer to calls made from a VoIP service to a traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) number, or vice versa. Understanding whether a call or service is offnet or onnet can sometimes be relevant for network management, billing, and troubleshooting.