Many large industries are beginning to decide whether they will use simple, low-speed data communications. These low-speed services may be the first data services that most small business and residence customers buy because the market already needs them. As a group, they are called teleaction services. The term teleaction means "acting at a distance." The actions include reading or writing some information to remote locations, or possibly both. Instead of sending a person to set or read some information on a device, it is done remotely via a communications network. This form of data collection is especially useful when coupled with a computer system that could use the data to initiate action. Currently, some of these services have low market penetration. However, the market need for them is real, and potential users consistently express interest in them. The challenge is to be able to deliver them in a cost-effective way. The purpose of the article is to provide a review of these services. The author provides a classification and an overview of current and emerging services with an emphasis on the specific business aspects of each service and each market segment. Then, the business drivers are discussed from the perspectives of the end user, the service provider, and the communications carrier.< >