diff --git a/docs/src/templates/doc_widgets.js b/docs/src/templates/doc_widgets.js
index e5be5cad4108..32d999266ee2 100644
--- a/docs/src/templates/doc_widgets.js
+++ b/docs/src/templates/doc_widgets.js
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ angular.module('ngdocs.directives', [], function($compileProvider) {
           var modules = [
             function($provide) {
               $provide.value('$browser', $browser);
-              $provide.service('$location', function() {
+              $provide.provider('$location', function() {
                 this.$get = function() {
                   return $location;
                 };
diff --git a/src/AngularPublic.js b/src/AngularPublic.js
index 5bc59653d2d9..d0a0e045387d 100644
--- a/src/AngularPublic.js
+++ b/src/AngularPublic.js
@@ -55,12 +55,12 @@ function publishExternalAPI(angular){
   try {
     angularModule('ngLocale');
   } catch (e) {
-    angularModule('ngLocale', []).service('$locale', $LocaleProvider);
+    angularModule('ngLocale', []).provider('$locale', $LocaleProvider);
   }
 
   angularModule('ng', ['ngLocale'], ['$provide',
     function ngModule($provide) {
-      $provide.service('$compile', $CompileProvider).
+      $provide.provider('$compile', $CompileProvider).
         directive({
             a: htmlAnchorDirective,
             input: inputDirective,
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ function publishExternalAPI(angular){
         }).
         directive(ngAttributeAliasDirectives).
         directive(ngEventDirectives);
-      $provide.service({
+      $provide.provider({
         $anchorScroll: $AnchorScrollProvider,
         $browser: $BrowserProvider,
         $cacheFactory: $CacheFactoryProvider,
diff --git a/src/Injector.js b/src/Injector.js
index a05a12ea682b..dc37a97c171d 100644
--- a/src/Injector.js
+++ b/src/Injector.js
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ function inferInjectionArgs(fn) {
  *   describe('Greeter', function(){
  *
  *     beforeEach(module(function($provide) {
- *       $provide.service('greet', GreetProvider);
+ *       $provide.provider('greet', GreetProvider);
  *     });
  *
  *     it('should greet', inject(function(greet) {
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ function inferInjectionArgs(fn) {
 
 /**
  * @ngdoc method
- * @name angular.module.AUTO.$provide#service
+ * @name angular.module.AUTO.$provide#provider
  * @methodOf angular.module.AUTO.$provide
  * @description
  *
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ function inferInjectionArgs(fn) {
  *
  * @param {string} name The name of the instance. NOTE: the provider will be available under `name + 'Provider'` key.
  * @param {function()} $getFn The $getFn for the instance creation. Internally this is a short hand for
- * `$provide.service(name, {$get:$getFn})`.
+ * `$provide.provider(name, {$get: $getFn})`.
  * @returns {Object} registered provider instance
  */
 
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ function createInjector(modulesToLoad) {
       loadedModules = new HashMap(),
       providerCache = {
         $provide: {
-            service: supportObject(service),
+            provider: supportObject(provider),
             factory: supportObject(factory),
             value: supportObject(value),
             constant: supportObject(constant),
@@ -330,17 +330,17 @@ function createInjector(modulesToLoad) {
     }
   }
 
-  function service(name, provider) {
-    if (isFunction(provider)){
-      provider = providerInjector.instantiate(provider);
+  function provider(name, provider_) {
+    if (isFunction(provider_)) {
+      provider_ = providerInjector.instantiate(provider_);
     }
-    if (!provider.$get) {
+    if (!provider_.$get) {
       throw Error('Provider ' + name + ' must define $get factory method.');
     }
-    return providerCache[name + providerSuffix] = provider;
+    return providerCache[name + providerSuffix] = provider_;
   }
 
-  function factory(name, factoryFn) { return service(name, { $get:factoryFn }); }
+  function factory(name, factoryFn) { return provider(name, { $get: factoryFn }); }
 
   function value(name, value) { return factory(name, valueFn(value)); }
 
diff --git a/src/angular-mocks.js b/src/angular-mocks.js
index 9313669801e8..306ca77b86b9 100644
--- a/src/angular-mocks.js
+++ b/src/angular-mocks.js
@@ -1271,7 +1271,7 @@ function MockXhr() {
  * The `ngMock` is an angular module which is used with `ng` module and adds unit-test configuration as well as useful
  * mocks to the {@link angular.module.AUTO.$injector $injector}.
  */
-angular.module('ngMock', ['ng']).service({
+angular.module('ngMock', ['ng']).provider({
   $browser: angular.mock.$BrowserProvider,
   $exceptionHandler: angular.mock.$ExceptionHandlerProvider,
   $log: angular.mock.$LogProvider,
diff --git a/src/loader.js b/src/loader.js
index 315c5c42d1da..3e5bffef966f 100644
--- a/src/loader.js
+++ b/src/loader.js
@@ -109,14 +109,14 @@ function setupModuleLoader(window) {
 
           /**
            * @ngdoc method
-           * @name angular.Module#service
+           * @name angular.Module#provider
            * @methodOf angular.Module
            * @param {string} name service name
            * @param {Function} providerType Construction function for creating new instance of the service.
            * @description
-           * See {@link angular.module.AUTO.$provide#service $provide.service()}.
+           * See {@link angular.module.AUTO.$provide#provider $provide.provider()}.
            */
-          service: invokeLater('$provide', 'service'),
+          provider: invokeLater('$provide', 'provider'),
 
           /**
            * @ngdoc method
diff --git a/test/InjectorSpec.js b/test/InjectorSpec.js
index 87373228a848..b0682b2939c1 100644
--- a/test/InjectorSpec.js
+++ b/test/InjectorSpec.js
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ describe('injector', function() {
     var injector = createInjector([function($provide) {
       $provide.value('value', 'value;');
       $provide.factory('fn', valueFn('function;'));
-      $provide.service('service', function() {
+      $provide.provider('service', function() {
         this.$get = valueFn('service;');
       });
     }, function(valueProvider, fnProvider, serviceProvider) {
@@ -315,31 +315,31 @@ describe('injector', function() {
       });
 
 
-      describe('service', function() {
-        it('should configure $provide service object', function() {
+      describe('provider', function() {
+        it('should configure $provide provider object', function() {
           expect(createInjector([function($provide) {
-            $provide.service('value', {
+            $provide.provider('value', {
               $get: valueFn('abc')
             });
           }]).get('value')).toEqual('abc');
         });
 
 
-        it('should configure $provide service type', function() {
+        it('should configure $provide provider type', function() {
           function Type() {};
           Type.prototype.$get = function() {
             expect(this instanceof Type).toBe(true);
             return 'abc';
           };
           expect(createInjector([function($provide) {
-            $provide.service('value', Type);
+            $provide.provider('value', Type);
           }]).get('value')).toEqual('abc');
         });
 
 
-        it('should configure a set of services', function() {
+        it('should configure a set of providers', function() {
           expect(createInjector([function($provide) {
-            $provide.service({value: valueFn({$get:Array})});
+            $provide.provider({value: valueFn({$get:Array})});
           }]).get('value')).toEqual([]);
         });
       });
diff --git a/test/loaderSpec.js b/test/loaderSpec.js
index 5d234b6d98f1..ea1046f70833 100644
--- a/test/loaderSpec.js
+++ b/test/loaderSpec.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('module loader', function() {
     var myModule = window.angular.module('my', ['other'], 'config');
 
     expect(myModule.
-      service('sk', 'sv').
+      provider('sk', 'sv').
       factory('fk', 'fv').
       value('k', 'v').
       filter('f', 'ff').
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ describe('module loader', function() {
     expect(myModule._invokeQueue).toEqual([
       ['$provide', 'constant', ['abc', 123] ],
       ['$injector', 'invoke', ['config'] ],
-      ['$provide', 'service', ['sk', 'sv'] ],
+      ['$provide', 'provider', ['sk', 'sv'] ],
       ['$provide', 'factory', ['fk', 'fv'] ],
       ['$provide', 'value', ['k', 'v'] ],
       ['$filterProvider', 'register', ['f', 'ff'] ],
diff --git a/test/service/exceptionHandlerSpec.js b/test/service/exceptionHandlerSpec.js
index 4ab946798878..3f3dd8003884 100644
--- a/test/service/exceptionHandlerSpec.js
+++ b/test/service/exceptionHandlerSpec.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 describe('$exceptionHandler', function() {
     it('should log errors with single argument', function() {
       module(function($provide){
-        $provide.service('$exceptionHandler', $ExceptionHandlerProvider);
+        $provide.provider('$exceptionHandler', $ExceptionHandlerProvider);
       });
       inject(function($log, $exceptionHandler) {
         $exceptionHandler('myError');
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ describe('$exceptionHandler', function() {
 
     it('should log errors with multiple arguments', function() {
       module(function($provide){
-        $provide.service('$exceptionHandler', $ExceptionHandlerProvider);
+        $provide.provider('$exceptionHandler', $ExceptionHandlerProvider);
       });
       inject(function($log, $exceptionHandler) {
         $exceptionHandler('myError', 'comment');
diff --git a/test/service/logSpec.js b/test/service/logSpec.js
index df2bc9330f32..72ce6a5c0abb 100644
--- a/test/service/logSpec.js
+++ b/test/service/logSpec.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ describe('$log', function() {
   beforeEach(module(function($provide){
     $window = {};
     logger = '';
-    $provide.service('$log', $LogProvider);
+    $provide.provider('$log', $LogProvider);
     $provide.value('$exceptionHandler', angular.mock.rethrow);
     $provide.value('$window', $window);
   }));