But since EarthLink will have to cover the additional cost of leasing local lines, the product is likely to be more expensive than the more traditional VoIP services offered by cable companies such as Comcast (nyse: CMCSA - news - people ) Internet voice vendors such as Vonage , and EarthLink itself.

FORBES: EarthLink To Bundle Services

Either they will simply buy their properties, since this will now change little on the balance-sheet, and may cost less than the expense that leasing would imply.

ECONOMIST: Commercial property: Lease hurt | The

Getting the scheduling wrong imposes a heavy cost: flying half-empty planes or leasing extra aircraft is an expensive business.

ECONOMIST: Algorithms

There's a tax cost, though: If title is transferred, the leasing firm no longer has depreciation with which to shelter income from tax.

FORBES: Guilt by Association

This may seem shortsighted, but keep in mind that China does not have a deep and robust leasing and financing market such as that which exists in the United States, focusing buyers on the monthly cost of owning and operating equipment.

FORBES: Caterpillar's China Challenge

Other e-tailers cite the high cost - some five to 10 times higher than in the U.S. - of leasing Net connections and maintaining "server" computers for managing online transactions.

CNN: THE E-TAIL REVOLUTION