System and method for providing telecommunication services to transient customers

A system for providing wireline telephone services, said system comprising:

• a server including a processing unit, input/output unit, and storage unit, the processing unit executing software configured to:
• provide wireline telephone service to a residence for a customer to place telephone calls;
• in response to receiving an activate code, activate the wireline telephone service;
• in response to receiving a deactivate code, deactivate the wireline telephone service;
• determine whether the wireline telephone service was in an activated state during a billing cycle;
• in response to a determination that the wireline telephone service was in the activated state during the billing cycle, billing the customer for the wireline telephone service at a first rate;
• and
• in response to a determination that the wireline telephone service was not in the activated state during the billing cycle, billing the customer for the wireline telephone service at a second rate lower than the first rate;
• and
• bill the customer on a per-call basis for calls made using the wireline telephone service while the wireline telephone service is in a deactivated state;
• and
• wherein the software is further configured to generate an inactive wireline telephone service dial tone when the wireline telephone service of a transient customer is inactive and a telephone of the transient customer is off-hook.