All Topics  
BellSouth Telecommunications

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

BellSouth Telecommunications
 
 
  Topics BellSouth Telecommunications Topic Home

BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. is the Bell Operating Company of AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 that serves the southeastern United States. BellSouth Telecommunications was formed on January 1, 1992 when BellSouth merged its operating companies, Southern Bell and South Central Bell, into one entity.

BellSouth Telecommunications was previously a holding of BellSouth Corporation
BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is an United States telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell operating company after the United States Department of Justice forced the American Telephone & Telegraph Company to divest itself of its regional telephone companies on January 1, 1984....
 but was acquired by AT&T Inc on December 29, 2006.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'BellSouth Telecommunications'
Start a new discussion about 'BellSouth Telecommunications'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. is the Bell Operating Company of AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 that serves the southeastern United States. BellSouth Telecommunications was formed on January 1, 1992 when BellSouth merged its operating companies, Southern Bell and South Central Bell, into one entity.

BellSouth Telecommunications was previously a holding of BellSouth Corporation
BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is an United States telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell operating company after the United States Department of Justice forced the American Telephone & Telegraph Company to divest itself of its regional telephone companies on January 1, 1984....
 but was acquired by AT&T Inc on December 29, 2006. BellSouth Telecommunications/AT&T Southeast regional headquarters are located in the AT&T Midtown Center building in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
. BellSouth Corporation's headquarters were located in the Campanile building in Atlanta.

History


Southern Bell

Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company was the Bell Operating Company serving the states of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, Florida
Florida

Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
, North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
 and South Carolina
South Carolina

South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
. Southern Bell may have begun alongside Southwestern Bell
Southwestern Bell

Southwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as AT&T Southwest and #Branding d/b/a names in its operating region....
, which was founded during 1920; state Bells may have existed before Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph had existed although sources may be needed for verification. Southern Bell also operated in Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the Capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the Confluence of the Elk River and Kanawha River Rivers in Kanawha County, West Virginia....
 and other parts of West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 from 1883 until 1917, when C&P Telephone
C&P Telephone

C&P Telephone was a d/b/a name for four of AT&T's, and after January 1, 1984, Bell Atlantic's Bell Operating Company.The companies included:*The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company ...
 took over operations.

On December 20, 1967 Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company forms South Central Bell Telephone Company to operate in five of its nine states. Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. A similar arrangement occurred in 1961 when Pacific Northwest Bell
Pacific Northwest Bell

Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company provided telephone services in the states of Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho....
 was formed from Pacific Telephone.

In 1984, Southern Bell became a holding of BellSouth Corporation.

Southern Bell was headquartered in (what is now) the AT&T Midtown Center building in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
.

South Central Bell

South Central Bell Telephone Company was the name of the Bell System's
Bell System

The Bell System refers to popular names used to described a group of companies that operated initial telephone services in the US. In 1877, the American Bell Telephone Company, named after Alexander Graham Bell, opened the first telephone exchange in New Haven, CT....
 operations in Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
, Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
, Mississippi
Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson, Mississippi is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Anishinaabe language word misi-ziibi ....
, and Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
. South Central Bell was created in July 1968 when the Bell telephone operations in those states were split off from Southern Bell, similar to how Pacific Northwest Bell
Pacific Northwest Bell

Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company provided telephone services in the states of Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho....
 split off from Pacific Telephone & Telegraph around the same time period.

In 1984, South Central Bell became a holding of BellSouth Corporation, effectively reuniting South Central Bell with Southern Bell.

South Central Bell was headquartered in (what is now) the AT&T City Center building in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
.

BellSouth Services


BellSouth Services, Inc. was the name of the shared service company formed to provide common functions such as engineering
Engineering

Engineering is the discipline and profession of applying Technology and science knowledge and utilizing natural laws and physical resources in order to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and process that safely realize a desired objective and meet specified criteria....
 and information technology
Information technology

Information technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to data conv...
 across the nine state Southern Bell and South Central Bell operating region.

The division was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
.

BellSouth Services was merged with the operating companies in 1992 into BellSouth Telecommunications.

Operating Company Merger


On January 1, 1992, BellSouth merged Southern Bell, South Central Bell, and BellSouth Services into a single operating company, BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., one year after US West
US West

U S WEST, Inc. was a RBOC, one of seven "Baby Bells" that were spawned by the antitrust breakup of American Telephone & Telegraph in 1983. It provided telephone and data service to several Pacific Northwest and mountain states....
 had done the same by creating U S West Communications. The merger recreated Southern Bell before the South Central Bell split-off. BellSouth Telecommunications continued to do business as Southern Bell and South Central Bell until 1995, when corporate name BellSouth was used.

Acquisition

On March 5, 2006, AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 announced its intentions to acquire BellSouth
BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is an United States telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell operating company after the United States Department of Justice forced the American Telephone & Telegraph Company to divest itself of its regional telephone companies on January 1, 1984....
 Corporation, and on December 29, 2006 BellSouth Telecommunications became an operating company of AT&T
AT&T

AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
 under the name AT&T-Southeast.

BellSouth Telecommunications ceased doing business under the BellSouth name on June 30, 2007.

See also

  • BellSouth Corporation
    BellSouth

    BellSouth Corporation is an United States telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell operating company after the United States Department of Justice forced the American Telephone & Telegraph Company to divest itself of its regional telephone companies on January 1, 1984....
  • AT&T
    AT&T

    AT&T Inc. is the largest US provider of both local and long distance telephone services, and Digital subscriber line Internet access. AT&T is the second largest provider of wireless service in the United States, with over 77 million wireless customers, and more than 150 million total customers....
  • American Telephone and Telegraph Company
  • Bell System
    Bell System

    The Bell System refers to popular names used to described a group of companies that operated initial telephone services in the US. In 1877, the American Bell Telephone Company, named after Alexander Graham Bell, opened the first telephone exchange in New Haven, CT....
  • Bell System Divestiture
    Bell System divestiture

    The break up of AT&T was initiated by the filing in 1974 by the U.S. Department of Justice of an United States antitrust law lawsuit against AT&T, which was at the time the only phone company in the United States....