Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Telecommunications |
Founded | 1879 |
Fate | Renamed to BellSouth |
Successor | SBT&T Co. |
Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Products | Local telephone service |
Parent | American Bell (1879–1899) AT&T (1899–1983) BellSouth (1984–2006) The "new" AT&T (2006–present)[1] |
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company is the regional Bell Operating Company serving the Southeastern United States of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, the Southern Bell name isn't used anymore as of 1992 although the network still exists.[2] It also covered the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee until 1968 when those were split off to form South Central Bell.
The company was originally known as the Atlanta Telephonic Exchange, having been created to service citizens of Atlanta in 1879, before it was renamed in 1882.[3]
Southern Bell also operated in Charleston and other parts of West Virginia, from 1883 until 1917, when the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia took over operations there.[4]
It begins operations on Jan. 1, 1917, assuming the West Virginia operations of the Central District and Printing Telegraph Co., The Chesapeake and Potomac of Maryland and Southern Bell.