Puheaika

Puheaika is a Finnish telecom term that refers to the duration of a voice call. The word is formed from puhe meaning speech and aika meaning time, and it is commonly used in consumer billing, usage monitoring, and network statistics.

In practice, puheaika measures the time spent in an actual call. The timer typically starts when the called party answers (the connection is established) and ends when the call is terminated. In many systems, the ringing period before a connection is established is not counted as puheaika, while the handling of hold or conference times can vary by operator or plan. Some providers count only the connected time, others may include certain hold times or call setup delays.

Puheaika is a key component in pricing and plan design. In prepaid and postpaid packages, customers may have a monthly or per-call allowance of puheaika, after which per-minute rates apply. Providers may also publish average puheaika statistics for quality monitoring and network management.

In addition to consumer use, puheaika is used in business contexts such as call centers, where average call duration is an important performance metric. Data on puheaika can be collected from mobile, landline, and VoIP services, and may be presented in user dashboards, bills, or usage reports. Because counting rules differ between operators and plans, customers should consult their specific terms to understand how puheaika is measured in their service.