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History of AT&T
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AT&T corporate logo, 1964–1969[citation needed]
The history of AT&T dates back to the invention of the telephone itself. The Bell Telephone Company was established in 1879 by Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Bell also established American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1885, which acquired the Bell Telephone Company and became the primary phone company in the United States. This company maintained a monopoly on telephone service in the United States until anti-trust regulators split the company in 1982.
AT&T Corporation was eventually purchased by one of its Baby Bells, the former Southwestern Bell, in 2005 and the combined company became known as AT&T Inc.
Contents
[hide]
1 Origins
2 Monopoly
2.1 Erosion of "a natural monopoly"
3 Breakup
4 Post break-up restructuring
4.1 1991-2004: Spinoffs and change in services
5 Rise of SBC
5.1 1984–2001: Southwestern Bell Corporation
5.2 1995–2000: Changes to the company
5.3 2000–2005: One national brand, and acquisition of AT&T Corporation
5.4 2006: BellSouth acquisition
5.5 2007–2008: restructuring
5.5.1 Transition to new media
5.5.2 Headquarters moves and job cuts
6 Post-consolidation wireless acquisitions
6.1 2007: Cellular One acquisition
6.2 2008: Centennial and Wayport acquisitions
6.3 2011: Qualcomm spectrum purchase
6.4 2011: Attempted acquisition of T-Mobile USA
6.5 2013–2014: Leap Wireless acquisition
7 Recent developments
7.1 2013-present
8 See also
9 Footnotes
10 Bibliography
11 External links
12 Further reading
Origins[edit]
A Bell System logo (called the Blue Bell) used from 1889 to 1900.[citation needed]
AT&T's lines and metallic circuit connections. March 1, 1891.
The formation of the Bell Telephone Company superseded an agreement between Alexander Graham Bell and his financiers, principal among them Gardiner Greene Hubbard and Thomas Sanders. Renamed the National Bell Telephone Company in March 1879, it became the American Bell Telephone Company in March 1880. By 1881, it had bought a controlling interest in the Western Electric Company from Western Union. Only three years earlier, Western Union had turned down Gardiner Hubbard's offer to sell it all rights to the telephone for $100,000 ($2.48 million in 2009 dollars[1]).
In 1880, the management of American Bell created what would become AT&T Long Lines. The project was the first of its kind to create a nationwide long-distance network with a commercially viable cost-structure. This project was formally incorporated into a separate company named American Telephone and Telegraph Company on March 3, 1885. Starting from New York, the network reached Chicago in 1892.
Bell's patent on the telephone expired in 1893, but the company's much larger customer base made its service much more valuable than alternatives and substantial growth continued.
On December 30, 1899, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company bought the assets of American Bell; this was because Massachusetts corporate laws (which limited market capitalization to ten million dollars, preventing the direct growth of American blue Bell itself) were more restrictive than those of New York, where AT&T was headquartered.[2] With this transfer of assets, AT&T became the parent of the Bell System.[2]
National long distance service reached San Francisco with the First transcontinental telephone call in 1915. Transatlantic services started in 1927 using two-way radio, but the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable did not arrive until Sept. 25, 1956, with TAT-1.
Monopoly[edit]
Further information: Bell System
The Bell System logo and trademark as it appeared in 1969.[citation needed]
As a result of a combination of regulatory actions by government and actions by AT&T, the firm eventually gained what most regard as monopoly status. In 1907, AT&T president Theodore Vail made it known that he was pursuing a goal of "One Policy, One System, Universal Service." AT&T began purchasing competitors, which attracted the attention of antitrust regulators. To avoid antitrust action, in a deal with the government, Vail agreed to the Kingsbury Commitment of 1913. One of the three terms of the agreement forbade AT&T from acquiring any more independent phone companies without the approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission.[3]
G.W. Brock says in The Telecommunications Industry: The Dynamics Of Market Structure, "[The] provision allowed Bell and the independents to exchange telephones in order to give each other geographical monopolies. So long as only one company served a given geographical area there was little reason to expect price competition to take place."[4] AT&T focused on purchasing companies within specific geographic areas that increased its effective control of the telephone system market, while selling its less-desirable and previously acquired companies to independent buyers. Also included in the Kingsbury Commitment was the requirement that AT&T allow competitors to connect through its phone lines, which reduced the incentive of these companies to build competing long-distance lines.[who?]
In 1913, after vacuum-tube inventor Lee De Forest began to suffer financial difficulties, AT&T bought De Forest's vacuum-tube patents for the bargain price of $50,000 ($1.21 million in 2009 dollars[1]). In particular, AT&T acquired ownership of the 'Audion', the first triode (three-element) vacuum tube, which greatly amplified telephone signals. The patent increased AT&T's control over the manufacture and distribution of long-distance telephone services, and allowed the Bell System to build the United States's first coast-to coast telephone line. Thanks to the pressures of World War I, AT&T and RCA owned all useful patents on vacuum tubes. RCA staked a position in wireless communication; AT&T pursued the use of tubes in telephone amplifiers. Some patent allies and partners in RCA were angered when the two companies' research on tubes began to overlap, and there were many patent disputes.
Around 1917, the idea that everyone in the country should have phone service and that the government should promote that began being discussed in government. AT&T agreed, saying in a 1917 annual report: "A combination of like activities under proper control and regulation, the service to the public would be better, more progressive, efficient, and economical than competitive systems." In 1918 the federal government nationalized the entire telecommunications industry, with national security as the stated intent. Rates were regulated so that customers in large cities would pay higher rates to subsidize those in more remote areas. Vail was appointed to manage the telephone system with AT&T being paid a percentage of the telephone revenues. AT&T profited well from the nationalization arrangement which ended a year later. States then began regulating rates so that those in rural areas would not have to pay high prices, and competition was highly regulated or prohibited in local markets. Also, potential competitors were forbidden from installing new lines to compete, with state governments wishing to avoid "duplication." The claim was that telephone service was a "natural monopoly," meaning that one firm could better serve the public than two or more. Eventually, AT&T's market share amounted to what most would regard as a monopolistic share.
AT&T, RCA, and their patent allies and partners finally settled their disputes in 1926 by compromise. AT&T decided to focus on the telephone business as a communications common carrier, and sold its broadcasting subsidiary Broadcasting Corporation of America to RCA. The assets included station WEAF, which for some time had broadcast from AT&T headquarters in New York City. In return, RCA signed a service agreement with AT&T, ensuring any radio network RCA started would have transmission connections provided by AT&T. Both companies agreed to cross-license patents, ending that aspect of the dispute. RCA, GE, and Westinghouse were now free to combine their assets to form the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC network.
In 1925, AT&T created a new unit called Bell Telephone Laboratories, commonly known as Bell Labs. This research and development unit proved highly successful, pioneering, among other things, radio astronomy, the transistor, the photovoltaic cell, the Unix operating system, and the C programming language. AT&T ranked 13th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military contracts.[5] In 1949, the Justice Department filed an antitrust suit aimed at forcing the divestiture of Western Electric, which was settled seven years later by AT&T's agreement to confine its products and services to common carrier telecommunications and license its patents to "all interested parties." A key effect of this was to ban AT&T from selling computers despite its key role in electronics research and development. Nonetheless, technological innovation continued. For example, AT&T commissioned the first experimental communications satellite, Telstar I in 1962.
Standard Western Electric Model 500 telephone, rented (never sold) to U.S. telephone subscribers.
AT&T corporate logo (designed by Saul Bass), 1969–1983[citation needed]
Public utility commissions in state and local jurisdictions regulated the Bell System and all the other telephone companies. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulated all service across state lines. These commissions controlled the rates that companies could charge, and the specific services and equipment they could offer.
AT&T increased its control of the telephone system through its leasing arrangements for telephones and telephone equipment made by its subsidiary, Western Electric. Like most telephones of the time in the United States, Western Electric-made phones were owned not by individual customers, but by local Bell System telephone companies — all of which were in turn owned by AT&T, which also owned Western Electric itself. Each phone was leased from AT&T on a monthly basis by customers, who generally paid for their phone and its connection many times over in cumulative lease fees. This monopoly made millions of extra dollars for AT&T, which had the secondary effect of greatly limiting phone choices and styles. AT&T strictly enforced policies against buying and using phones by other manufacturers that had not first been transferred to and re-rented from the local Bell monopoly. Many phones made by Western Electric thus carried the following disclaimer permanently molded into their housings: "BELL SYSTEM PROPERTY — NOT FOR SALE." Telephones were also labeled with a sticker marking the Bell Operating Company that owned the telephone.
In 1968, the Federal Communications Commission allowed the Carterfone and other devices to be connected directly to the AT&T network, as long as they did not cause damage to the system. This ruling (13 F.C.C.2d 420) created the possibility of selling devices that could connect to the phone system and opened up the market to numerous products, including answering machines, fax machines, cordless phones, computer modems and the early, dialup Internet.
In the 1980s, after some consumers began buying phones from other manufacturers anyway, AT&T changed its policy by selling customers the phone's housing, retaining ownership of the mechanical components — which still required paying AT&T a monthly leasing fee.
For most of the 20th century, AT&T subsidiary AT&T Long Lines thus enjoyed a near-total monopoly on long distance telephone service in the United States. AT&T also controlled 22 Bell Operating Companies which provided local telephone service to most of the United States. While there were many "independent telephone companies", General Telephone being the most significant, the Bell System was far larger than all the others, and widely considered a monopoly itself.
Erosion of "a natural monopoly"[edit]
For many years, AT&T had been permitted to retain its monopoly status under the assumption that it was a natural monopoly. The first erosion to this monopoly occurred in 1956 where the Hush-A-Phone v. United States ruling allowed a third-party device to be attached to rented telephones owned by AT&T. This was followed by the 1968 Carterfone decision that allowed third-party equipment to be connected to the AT&T telephone network. The rise of cheap microwave communications equipment in the 1960s and 1970s opened a window of opportunity for competitors — no longer was the acquisition of expensive rights-of-way necessary for the construction of a long-distance telephone network. In light of this, the FCC permitted MCI (Microwave Communications, Inc) to sell communication services to large businesses. This technical-economic argument against the necessity of AT&T's monopoly position would hold for a mere fifteen years until the beginning of the fiber-optics revolution sounded the end of microwave-based long distance.
Breakup[edit]
Further information: Breakup of AT&T and Regional Bell Operating Company
AT&T corporate logo, 1983–2005,[citation needed] designed by Saul Bass. It was nicknamed the "Death Star" due to its appearance's similarity to the Star Wars space station of the same name.
AT&T corporate logo, 2005–2016
The rest of the telephone monopoly lasted until January 8, 1982, the date of settlement of United States v. AT&T, a 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T. Under the settlement AT&T ("Ma Bell") agreed to divest its local exchange service operating companies, in return for a chance to go into the computer business (see AT&T Computer Systems). AT&T's local operations were split into seven independent Regional Bell Operating Companies known as "Baby Bells".
With the American consumer's new ability to purchase phones outright, AT&T and the Bell System lost the considerable revenues earned from phone leasing by local Bell companies. Forced to compete with other manufacturers for new phone sales, the aging Western Electric phone designs still marketed through AT&T failed to sell, and Western Electric eventually closed all of its U.S. phone manufacturing plants. AT&T, reduced in value by about 70%, continued to run all its long distance services through AT&T Communications (the new name of AT&T Long Lines), although it lost some market share in the ensuing years to competitors MCI and Sprint.
A sign that hung in many Bell facilities in 1983 read:
There are two giant entities at work in our country, and they both have an amazing influence on our daily lives. . . one has given us radar, sonar, stereo, teletype, the transistor, hearing aids, artificial larynxes, talking movies, and the telephone. The other has given us the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, double-digit inflation, double-digit unemployment, the Great Depression, the gasoline crisis, and the Watergate fiasco. Guess which one is now trying to tell the other one how to run its business?[6]
Post break-up restructuring[edit]
1991-2004: Spinoffs and change in services[edit]
Western Electric was renamed AT&T Technologies and was divided into several units focused on specific customer groups, such as AT&T Network Systems and AT&T Consumer Products. It, along with Bell Labs, would be fully merged and absorbed into American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1991.
In 1991, AT&T discontinued telegraph services.[7]
After its own attempt to penetrate the computer marketplace failed, in 1991, AT&T acquired NCR Corporation (National Cash Register), hoping to capitalize on the burgeoning personal computer and Unix networked server markets, but was unable to extract lasting financial or technological gains from the merger. After deregulation of the U.S. telecom industry via the Telecommunications Act of 1996, NCR was divested again. At the same time, the majority of AT&T Technologies and the renowned Bell Labs was spun off as Lucent Technologies. The industry as a whole had many other reorganizations since the 1990s, both due to deregulation and because of technological advances reducing demand and pricing power in telecommunications.
In 1994, AT&T purchased the largest cellular carrier, McCaw Cellular, for $11.5 billion and kick-started its cellular division with 2 million subscribers.[8][9]
In 1995, AT&T purchased long-distance provider Alaska Communications System. FCC approval required the company be run as an AT&T subsidiary rather than a more likely absorption into AT&T Communications, giving the company the AT&T Alascom name.
In 1997, AT&T hired former IBM executive C Michael Armstrong as its chief executive officer. Armstrong's vision was to change AT&T from a long-distance carrier into a global "telecommunications supermarket", eying Internet services for the booming dot-com industry.
Armstrong's most prominent strategy was buying significant cable television assets. After acquiring John Malone's TCI and Media One (gaining through the latter a 25% share of Time Warner Cable),[citation needed] AT&T was the largest provider of cable television in the world.[10] It intended to use these assets to bridge the so-called "last mile" and break the Regional Bell Companies' access-monopoly of the consumer household for data and telephony services, but the wager was costly, substantially increasing the company's debt. AT&T acquired TCI in a $48 billion all-stock transaction including the assumption of $16 billion of debt. AT&T acquired MediaOne for $54 billion in cash and stock, after a bidding war with Comcast.
In 1998, AT&T announced a US$1 billion alliance with BT to offer global voice over IP (VoIP) services, called Concert, sparking rumors of a potential merger.[11] But the parties fought for control of the project and could not even agree on the alliance's name. By mid-2001, customers were being directed to sign contracts with the parent companies, and Concert Communications Services, as the venture was eventually known, was scrapped in October that year.
AT&T corporate logo, 1996–2005, was devised to simplify and eliminate multiple versions of the logo.
In 1999, AT&T acquired the Olivetti & Oracle Research Lab, from Olivetti and Oracle Corporation. In 2002, it closed down the research part of the lab.
Also in 1999, AT&T paid US$5 billion to purchase IBM's Global Network business, which became AT&T Global Network Services, LLC. As part of the purchase agreement, IBM granted AT&T a five-year, US$5-billion contract to handle much of IBM's networking needs, and AT&T outsourced some of its applications processing and data management work to IBM. IBM also committed to billing and installation for AT&T's long-distance customers in a 10-year deal valued at US$4 billion; and assumed management of AT&T's data processing centers.
With long-distance rates falling and the market for telecommunications services overall weakening, AT&T could not sustain the debt it had incurred in these ventures. Moreover, the cost of upgrading TCI's equipment to handle two-way communications proved far higher than pre-merger estimates. AT&T undertook a major reorganization in October 2000, moving its mobile phone and broadband units into separate companies, to allow each unit to raise capital independently.
The logo for AT&T Comcast, the original name for the AT&T Broadband/Comcast merger.[citation needed]
On July 9, 2001, it spun off AT&T Wireless Services in what was then the world's largest initial public offering (IPO). Later that year it spun off AT&T Broadband and Liberty Media, which comprised its cable TV assets. AT&T Broadband was subsequently acquired by Comcast in 2002, and AT&T Wireless merged with Cingular Wireless LLC in 2004. The merged wireless phone company operated as Cingular until 2007, when it became AT&T Mobility.
In 2004, the U.S. government eliminated equal access regulations that allowed long-distance phone companies to access the networks owned by the regional Bell carriers at fixed rates. This ultimately caused AT&T to move away from the residential telephone business — declaring in the process that it would no longer market residential telephone service. Instead, its residential focus shifted to offering a voice service over a broadband Internet connection called AT&T CallVantage.
Rise of SBC[edit]
Further information: AT&T
One of the new companies formed by the breakup of AT&T was Southwestern Bell Corporation. This company grew continuously over the years until it acquired AT&T in 2005. After this acquisition, SBC took on AT&T's name and branding, and this is the company known as AT&T today.
1984–2001: Southwestern Bell Corporation[edit]
American Telephone and Telegraph Company officially transferred full ownership of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company to Southwestern Bell Corporation on January 1, 1984. It had three other subsidiaries: Southwestern Bell Publications, Inc., a directory publisher; Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, Inc., in the business of mobile telephone service; and Southwestern Bell Telecommunications, Inc., focusing on marketing phone equipment to business customers. The holding companies' new president was Zane Edison Barnes.
Southwestern Bell Corporation logo, 1992–1995[citation needed]
In 1987, SBC bought Metromedia Inc.'s cellular and paging business. This in turn boosted the company to third largest cellular-communications company in the United States; behind McCaw Cellular and Pacific Telesis. In January 1990, Edward Whitacre took over as president of Southwestern Bell.[12] The Headquarters was moved from St. Louis to San Antonio, Texas in February 1993. It acquired 2 cable companies in Maryland and Virginia from Hauser Communications for $650 million, becoming the first regional Bell telephone company to acquire a cable company outside of its service area. In 1994, they called off a $1.6 billion acquisition attempt for 40% of Cox Cable due to FCC rules on cable companies. SBC would later start selling its current cable company interests.
1995–2000: Changes to the company[edit]
SBC Communications logo, 2001–2005[citation needed]
In 1995 Southwestern Bell Corp. became SBC Communications. They then combined Southwestern Bell Telecom division (which made telephone equipment) into the company, due to new FCC rules.
In 1996, SBC announced it would acquire Pacific Telesis Group, a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) in California and Nevada. 1997 brought rumors of a proposed merger between AT&T Corporation (the USA's largest long distance provider) and SBC (the USA's largest local provider). The FCC disapproved of the merger, and it came to end. Later in 1997, SBC sold its last two cable companies, exiting the cable telecom field.
In January 1998, SBC announced it would take over the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) for $4.4 billion in stock (the FCC would approve in October 1998). SBC also won a court judgment that would make it easier for RBOCs to enter the long distance phone service, but it was being challenged by AT&T and the FCC. In May 1998, Ameritech and SBC announced a $62 billion merger, in which SBC would take over Ameritech. After making several organizational changes (such as the sale of Ameritech Wireless to GTE) to satisfy state and federal regulators, the two merged on October 8, 1999. The FCC later fined SBC Communications $6 million for failure to comply with agreements made in order to secure approval of the merger. SBC became the largest RBOC until the Bell Atlantic and GTE merger. 1998 revenues were $46 billion, placing SBC among the top 15 companies in the Fortune 500.[12]
In January 1999, SBC announced it would purchase Comcast Cellular, for $1.7 billion, plus $1.3 billion of debt. During 1999 SBC continued to prepare to be allowed to provide long distance phone service. In February SBC acquired up to ten percent of Williams Companies' telecommunications division for about $500 million, who were building a fiber optic network across the country and would carry SBC's future service. On November 1, 1999, SBC became a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (lasting through 2015).
2000–2005: One national brand, and acquisition of AT&T Corporation[edit]
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In 2002, SBC ended marketing its operating companies under different names, and simply opted to give its companies different doing business as names based on the state (a practice already in use by Ameritech since 1993), and it gave the holding companies it had purchased d/b/a names based on their general region.
SBC-AT&T legacy transitional logo, used 2005–2006[citation needed]
On January 31, 2005, SBC announced that it would purchase AT&T Corporation for more than US$16 billion. The announcement came almost eight years after SBC and AT&T (originally known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company) called off their first merger talks and nearly a year after initial merger talks between AT&T Corp. and BellSouth fell apart. AT&T stockholders meeting in Denver, approved the merger on June 30, 2005. The U.S. Department of Justice cleared the merger on October 27, 2005, and the Federal Communications Commission approved it on October 31, 2005.
The merger was finalized on November 18, 2005.[13] The merger left SBC as the nominal survivor. However, the merged company took the better-known AT&T name and branding, changing its corporate name to AT&T Inc. to differentiate the company from the former AT&T Corporation. On December 1, 2005, the merged company's New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol was changed from "SBC" to the traditional "T" used by AT&T.
While the new AT&T claims the old AT&T's history (dating to 1885) as its own, it retains SBC's corporate structure and pre-2005 stock price history. All pre-2005 regulatory filings are for Southwestern Bell/SBC, not AT&T.
The new AT&T updated the former AT&T's graphic logo (a new "marble" designed by Interbrand took over the "Death Star"); however, the existing AT&T sound trademark (voiced by Pat Fleet) continues to be used.[citation needed]
2006: BellSouth acquisition[edit]
On Friday December 29, 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the new AT&T's acquisition of a regional Bell Operating Company, BellSouth, valued at approximately $86 billion (or 1.325 shares of AT&T for each share of BellSouth at the close of trading December 29, 2006).[14] The new combined company retained the name AT&T.[15] The deal consolidated ownership of both Cingular Wireless, which had purchased AT&T's cellular service in 2004, and Yellowpages.com. Cingular reassumed the AT&T name and all of BellSouth's other properties also took the AT&T branding.[16]
2007–2008: restructuring[edit]
Transition to new media[edit]
The AT&T Switching Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
In June 2007, AT&T's new chairman and CEO, Randall Stephenson, discussed how wireless services are the core of "The New AT&T".[17] With declining sales of traditional home phone lines, AT&T plans to roll out various new media such as Video Share, U-verse, and to extend its reach in high speed Internet into rural areas across the country. AT&T announced on June 29, 2007, however, that it was acquiring Dobson Communications. It was then reported on October 2, 2007 that AT&T would purchase Interwise[clarification needed] for $121 million, which it completed on November 2, 2007. Interwise was a leading global provider of voice, Web and video conferencing services to businesses. On October 9, 2007, AT&T purchased 12 MHz of spectrum in the prime 700 MHz spectrum band from privately held Aloha Partners for nearly $2.5 billion; the deal was approved by the FCC on February 4, 2008. On December 4, 2007 AT&T announced plans to acquire Edge Wireless, a regional GSM carrier in the Pacific Northwest.[18] The Edge Wireless acquisition was completed in April 2008.[19]
Headquarters moves and job cuts[edit]
On June 27, 2008, AT&T announced that it would move its corporate headquarters from 175 East Houston Street in Downtown San Antonio to One AT&T Plaza in Downtown Dallas.[20][21] The company said that it moved to gain better access to its customers and operations throughout the world, and to the key technology partners, suppliers, innovation and human resources needed as it continues to grow, domestically and internationally.[22] AT&T Inc. previously relocated its corporate headquarters to San Antonio from St. Louis in 1992, when it was then named Southwestern Bell Corporation. The company's Telecom Operations group, which serves residential and regional business customers in 22 U.S. states, remains in San Antonio.[citation needed] Atlanta continues to be the headquarters for AT&T Mobility, with significant offices in Redmond, Washington, the former home of AT&T Wireless. Bedminster, New Jersey is the headquarters for the company's Global Business Services group and AT&T Labs. St. Louis continues as home to the company's Directory operations, AT&T Advertising Solutions.[23]
On December 4, 2008, AT&T announced they would be cutting 12,000 jobs due to "economic pressures, a changing business mix and a more streamlined organizational structure".[24]
Post-consolidation wireless acquisitions[edit]
2007: Cellular One acquisition[edit]
On June 29, 2007 AT&T announced that they had reached an agreement to purchase Dobson Cellular, which provided services in the US under the name Cellular One in primarily rural areas. The closing price was $2.8B USD, or $13 per share. AT&T also agreed to assume the outstanding debt of $2.3B USD. The sale completed on November 15, 2007, with market transition beginning December 9, 2007.[25]
2008: Centennial and Wayport acquisitions[edit]
On November 11, 2008, AT&T announced a $944 million buyout of Centennial Communications Corp. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, the approval of Centennial's stockholders and other customary closing conditions. Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, Centennial's largest stockholder, has agreed to vote in support of this transaction. In an attempt to quell regulators, on May 9, 2009 AT&T entered an agreement with Verizon Wireless to sell off certain existing Centennial service areas in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi for $240 million pending the successful merger of AT&T and Centennial.[26]
On December 12, 2008, AT&T acquired Wayport, Inc., a major provider of Internet hotspots in the United States. With the acquisition, AT&T's public Wi-Fi deployment climbed to 20,000 hotspots in the United States, the most of any U.S. provider.[27]
2011: Qualcomm spectrum purchase[edit]
On December 20, 2011, AT&T and Qualcomm announced that AT&T would buy $1.93 billion worth of spectrum from Qualcomm. Formerly used for FLO TV, this spectrum will be used to expand AT&T's 4G wireless services. AT&T already had spectrum for the purpose close to what it is buying.[28]
2011: Attempted acquisition of T-Mobile USA[edit]
Main article: Attempted purchase of T-Mobile USA by AT&T
On March 20, 2011, AT&T announced its intention to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion from Deutsche Telekom. The deal would have seen the addition of 33.7 million subscribers, making AT&T Mobility the largest mobile phone company in the United States.[29][30] AT&T Mobility would have had a 43% market share of mobile phones in the U.S. making AT&T Mobility significantly larger than any of its competitors. Regulators questioned the effects such a deal would have had on both competitors and consumers.[29] AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson however stated that the merger would increase network quality and would lead to large savings for the company. AT&T stated it may have had to sell some assets to gain approval from regulators, but claimed to have done their "homework" on regulations.[31]
Reaction to the announced merger generated both support as well as opposition among various groups and communities.
The merger gained support from a wide number of civil rights, environmental, and business organizations. These include the NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and the Sierra Club.[32] Labor organizations such as the AFL-CIO, Teamsters, and the Communications Workers of America also voiced support for the merger. These organizations pointed to AT&T's commitment to labor, social, and environmental standards. Many of these organizations also cited how the merger is likely to accelerate 4G wireless deployment, thus helping underserved communities such as rural areas and disadvantaged urban communities.[32] According to the NAACP, the merger would have "advance[d] increased access to affordable and sustainable wireless broadband services and in turn stimulate job creation and civic engagement throughout our country."[32]
By August 2, 2011, the governors of 26 states had written letters supporting the merger.[33] On July 27 the attorneys general of Utah, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming sent a joint letter of support to the FCC.[33] By August 2011 state regulatory agencies in Arizona and Louisiana approved the acquisition.
A diverse group of industry and public-interest organizations opposed AT&T's merger with T-Mobile. Consumer groups including Public Knowledge, Consumers Union, Free Press and the Media Access Project publicly opposed the AT&T merger. These groups attempted to persuade a majority of the Federal Communications Commission and members of Congress. These organizations feared that the merger will raise prices and stifle innovation by consolidating so much of the wireless industry in one company. Free Press and Public Knowledge started letter-writing campaigns against the deal.[34]
Internet companies were generally skeptical of the merger because it leaves them with fewer counter-parties to negotiate with for getting their content and applications to customers. The AT&T merger might leave them dependent on just two, AT&T and Verizon. The Computer & Communication Industry Association (CCIA), which counts Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and eBay among its members, opposed the merger. "A deal like this, if not blocked on antitrust grounds, is of deep concern to all the innovative businesses that build everything from apps to handsets. It would be hypocritical for our nation to talk about unleashing innovation on one hand and then stand by as threats to innovation like this are proposed," said Ed Black, head of CCIA.[34]
On April 21, 2011, AT&T defended its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA before a U.S. Senate committee, saying the combined company would deliver high-speed wireless services to 97 percent of Americans and provide consumer benefits such as fewer dropped calls.[35]
As part of the original negotiations, if AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile USA were to be rejected by federal regulators, AT&T would need to pay $6 billion, including $3 billion in cash, to T-Mobile USA's parent company Deutsche Telekom.[36]
On August 31, 2011, the Department of Justice officially filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to block the acquisition.[37][38]
On November 30, 2011, the FCC allowed AT&T to withdraw their merger, saving both carriers from divulging documentation about internal operations. The FCC cited job loss and higher consumer prices as reasons to deny the merger.[39]
On December 19, 2011, AT&T announced that it would permanently end its merger bid after a "thorough review of its options". As per the original acquisition agreement, T-Mobile will receive $3 billion in cash as well as access to $1 billion worth of AT&T-held wireless spectrum.[40]
2013–2014: Leap Wireless acquisition[edit]
On July 12, 2013, AT&T announced it is agreeing to acquire Leap Wireless (Cricket) for $1.2 billion. The deal says AT&T will be acquiring all of Leap's towers, stores and their 5.3 million subscribers.[41] The merger between AT&T and Leap Wireless was approved by the Federal Communications Commission on March 13, 2014.[42]
Recent developments[edit]
2013-present[edit]
In September 2013, AT&T announced it would expand into Latin America through a collaboration with Carlos Slim's América Móvil.[43] On December 17, 2013, AT&T announced plans to sell its Connecticut wireline operations to Stamford-based Frontier Communications. Roughly 2,700 wireline employees supporting AT&T’s operations in Connecticut was expected to transfer with the business to Frontier, as well as 900,000 voice connections, 415,000 broadband connections, and 180,000 U-verse video subscribers.[44]
On May 18, 2014, AT&T announced it had agreed to purchase DirecTV for $48.5 billion, or $67.1 billion including assumed debt. The deal was aimed at increasing AT&T's market share in the pay-TV sector and give AT&T access to fast-growing Latin American markets. The transaction closed in July 2015.[45] The deal is subject to conditions for four years, including a requirement for AT&T to expand its fiberoptic broadband service to at least 12.5 million customer locations, not to discriminate against other online video services using bandwidth caps, submit any "interconnection agreements" for government review, and offer low-cost internet services for low-income households.[46][47] AT&T subsequently announced plans to converge its existing U-verse home internet and IPTV brands into a combined platform with DirecTV, tentatively known as AT&T Entertainment.[48][49][50]
On November 7, 2014, AT&T announced its purchase of Iusacell to create a wider North American network.[51] In January 2015, AT&T announced it would be acquiring the bankrupt Mexican wireless business of NII Holdings for around $1.875 billion.[52] AT&T subsequently merged the two companies to create AT&T Mexico.[53]
On March 6, 2015, it was announced that AT&T will be removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, being replaced by Apple.[54]
On October 20, 2016, it was reported that AT&T was in talks to acquire Time Warner, in an effort to increase its media holdings.[55][56][57] On October 22, 2016, AT&T announced a deal to buy Time Warner for $108.7 billion. If approved by federal regulators, the merger would bring AT&T's telecommunication holdings under the same umbrella as HBO, Turner Broadcasting System and the Warner Bros. studio.[58][59][60]
On February 15, 2017, Time Warner shareholders approved the merger,[61] which is still pending regulatory approval. On February 28, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced that his agency will not review the deal, leaving the review to the US Department of Justice.[62]
On March 15, 2017, the European Commission approved the merger,[63] which is still pending approval from U.S. regulators.
On July 13, 2017, it was reported that AT&T is going to introduce a cloud-based DVR streaming service as part of its effort to create a unified platform across DirecTV and its DirecTV Now streaming service, with U-verse to be added soon.[64][65][66]
On August 22, 2017, the merger was approved by Mexican authorities.[67]On September 5, 2017, the merger was approved by Chilean authorities.[68]US is the last country needed for its approval as Brazil approved the merger.[69]
On September 12, 2017, it was reported that AT&T is planning to launch a brand new cable TV-like service for delivery over-the-top over its own or a competitor's broadband network sometime next year.[70]
On October 23, 2017, the deadline was extended for a short period of time to finalize the deal. The original deadline was on Oct. 22.[71]
See also[edit]
AT&T
Footnotes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Brooks 1976, p. 107.
Jump up ^ Brooks 1976, p. 136.
Jump up ^ Brock 1981, p. 156.
Jump up ^ Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p. 619.
Jump up ^ Bell System History - The Bell System
Jump up ^ AT&T exits telegraph business
Jump up ^ "Justice Department Files Antitrust Suit and Consent Decree in AT&T-McCaw Merger". United States Department of Justice. 1994-07-15.
Jump up ^ Richman, Dan (2004-09-21). "The fall of AT&T Wireless". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Jump up ^ "75 Power Players: The Outsides". Next Generation. Imagine Media (11): 61. November 1995.
Jump up ^ "AT&T and British Telecom plan a new telecommunications company that will provide new technology in phone, computer, and news delivery services.". PBS.org. 1998-07-27.
^ Jump up to: a b Wu, Tim, The Master Switch, New York : Random House, 2010. Cf. especially Chapter 18, "The Return of AT&T", pp. 238–253.
Jump up ^ "New AT&T Launches" (Press release). AT&T. November 18, 2005. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Jump up ^ Vorman, Julie (December 29, 2006). "AT&T closes $86 billion BellSouth deal". Reuters. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Jump up ^ Bartash, Jeffry; Jonathan Burton (March 5, 2006). "AT&T to pay $67 billion for BellSouth". Dow Jones Market Watch. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Jump up ^ "AT&T and BellSouth Join to Create a Premier Global Communications Company" (Press release). AT&T. December 29, 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Jump up ^ Johnson, K C (June 24, 2007). "AT&T's new chief dialed in". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 27, 2007.
Jump up ^ "AT&T Buys Edge Wireless". Phone Scoop. December 4, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
Jump up ^ Antonio, San (April 18, 2008). "AT&T completes buy out of Edge Wireless". American City Business Journals. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
Jump up ^ Godinez, Victor and David McLemore. "AT&T moving headquarters to Dallas from San Antonio." The Dallas Morning News. Saturday June 28, 2008. Retrieved on June 18, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Corporate Inquiries." AT&T. Retrieved on March 25, 2009.
Jump up ^ "AT&T moving headquarters to Dallas from San Antonio". Dallas News. June 27, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04.
Jump up ^ AT&T – News Room (June 27, 2008). AT&T Corporate Headquarters to Move to Dallas. Press release. Retrieved on June 27, 2008.
Jump up ^ "Job cuts mount as year-end nears" (Press release). AT&T. December 4, 2008.
Jump up ^ "AT&T Completes Acquisition of Dobson Communications to Enhance Wireless Coverage" (Press release). Dallas, Texas: AT&T Inc. November 15, 2007. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
Jump up ^ "AT&T Agrees to Sell Certain Centennial Communications Corp. Assets to Verizon Wireless" (Webpage). newsticker.welt.de. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
Jump up ^ "AT&T Advanced Wi-Fi Strategy" (Press release). Dallas, Texas: AT&T Inc. December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
Jump up ^ "AT&T buys $2 billion worth of 4G spectrum from Qualcomm". News & Record. Associated Press. December 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "AT&T to Buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion". New York Times. March 20, 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
Jump up ^ Segan, Sascha (March 20, 2011). "AT&T Buys T-Mobile: Great For Them, Bad For You". Pcmag.com. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "BBC.co.uk". BBC. March 21, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c German, Kent. "On Call: Civil rights groups line up behind AT&T-T-Mobile merger". CNET. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b German, Kent. "States weigh in on AT&T-T-Mobile merger". CNET. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b Sara Jerome (March 23, 2011). "T-Mobile, AT&T merger to draw torrent of opposition". The Hill.
Jump up ^ Declan McCullagh, CNET. "AT&T defends T-Mobile deal to U.S. Senate." May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
Jump up ^ Don Reisinger, CNET. "Report: AT&T pays $6B if T-Mobile deal fails." May 13, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ Schoenberg, Tom (September 1, 2011). "T-Mobile Antitrust Challenge Leaves AT&T With Little Recourse on Takeover". Bloomberg. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ Goldman, David (September 1, 2011). "AT&T and T-Mobile: Is the deal dead? No one knows. – September 1, 2011". CNN. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ Shields, Todd (November 30, 2011). "FCC Allows AT&T to Withdraw Merger Application". Bloomberg. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
Jump up ^ AT&T (December 19, 2011). "AT&T Ends Bid To Add Network Capacity Through T-Mobile USA Purchase". AT&T. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
Jump up ^ "AT&T To Acquire Leap Wireless (Cricket) For Around $1.2B". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ Welch, Chris (March 13, 2014). "FCC approves AT&T's purchase of Leap Wireless, says it's 'in the public interest'". The Verge. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
Jump up ^ Sinead Carew (18 September 2013). "AT&T to expand in Latin America with America Movil deal". Reuters.
Jump up ^ AT&T (17 December 2013). "AT&T Announces Plans to Sell Connecticut Wireline Operations to Frontier Communications for $2.0 Billion". AT&T.
Jump up ^ "AT&T Completes Acquisition of DirecTV". Reuters. January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ "AT&T & DirecTV Merger Gets FCC Approval – With Conditions". Deadline Hollywood. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
Jump up ^ "FCC approves AT&T–DirecTV merger". The Verge. Vox Media. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
Jump up ^ Bode, Karl (December 2, 2015). "AT&T Plans on Killing the DirecTV Name Starting in January". DSL Reports. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
Jump up ^ Farrell, Mike (December 2, 2015). "AT&T Enters Next Phase in DirecTV Branding". MultiChannel News. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia (April 26, 2016). "AT&T Sees DirecTV, Broadband Subscriber Gains in Q1 as U-verse Fades". Variety. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
Jump up ^ Nguyen, Chuong (November 7, 2014). "AT&T to expand North American coverage area with Mexico carrier Iusacell acquisition". Android Central. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ "AT&T to buy NII Holdings' wireless business in Mexico". Reuters. January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
Jump up ^ "AT&T to merge Nextel and Iusacell, but retain Unefon - BNamericas". BNamericas. 25 August 2015.
Jump up ^ McGrath, Maggie. "Apple To Replace AT&T In Dow Jones Industrial Average". Retrieved 2016-08-12.
Jump up ^ Hammond, Ed; Sherman, Alex; Moritz, Scott (October 20, 2016). "AT&T Discussed Idea of Takeover in Time Warner Meetings". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
Jump up ^ Yu, Robert (October 20, 2016). "Report: AT&T considering buying Time Warner". USA Today. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
Jump up ^ Hagey, Keach; Sharma, Amol; Cimilluca, Dana (October 21, 2016). "AT&T Is in Advanced Talks to Acquire Time Warner". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
Jump up ^ Yu, Roger (October 22, 2016). "AT&T agrees to buy Time Warner for more than $80B". USA Today. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
Jump up ^ Gryta, Thomas; Hagey, Keach; Cimilluca, Dana (October 22, 2016). "AT&T Reaches Deal to Buy Time Warner for $86 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
Jump up ^ Littleton, Cynthia (October 22, 2016). "AT&T Sets $85.4 Billion Time Warner Deal, CEOs Talk 'Unique' Potential of Combination". Variety. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
Jump up ^ Kludt, Tom (15 February 2017). "Time Warner shareholders vote to approve AT&T merger". CNNMoney.
Jump up ^ "FCC chief: AT&T-Time Warner deal won't face agency's scrutiny". USA TODAY.
Jump up ^ Reuters, Thomson (March 15, 2017). "AT&T's $85.4 billion deal for Time Warner wins EU thumbs-up". Business Insider. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ Lawler, Richard (July 13, 2017). "AT&T's 'next-gen' TV platform rollout will start on DirecTV Now". Engadget. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Lieberman, David (July 13, 2017). "AT&T To Offer Cloud-Based DVR To Streaming Services". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Frankel, Daniel (July 13, 2017). "DirecTV Now to finally get cloud DVR as part of AT&T video platform rollout". Fierce Cable. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Aycock, Jason (August 22, 2017). "AT&T's $85B Time Warner deal gets Mexico's approval". Seeking Alpha. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
Jump up ^ http://www.fiercecable.com/broadcasting/at-t-time-warner-merger-approved-conditions-by-chilean-regulators
Jump up ^ James, Meg (Oct 18, 2017) With consent from Brazil, AT&T has only one regulatory hurdle left before it can gobble Time Warner LA Times.
Jump up ^ Engebretson, Joan (September 12, 2017). "AT&T CEO: Bye-Bye DirecTV, Hello AT&T OTT Video". Telecompetitor. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
Jump up ^ Post Staff Report (Oct 23, 2017) AT&T extends Time Warner merger deadline NY Post.
Bibliography[edit]
Brooks, John. Telephone: The First Hundred Years, Harper & Row, 1976, ISBN 978-0-06-010540-2
Bruce, Robert V. Bell: Alexander Bell and the Conquest of Solitude. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8014-9691-8.
Pizer, Russell A. The Tangled Web of Patent #174465, AuthorHouse, 2009, [1] ISBN 1-4389-8402-2, ISBN 978-1-4389-8402-5.
Yurick, William. Judge Harold H. Greene: A Pivotal Judicial Figure in Telecommunications Policy and His Legacy[2]
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to AT&T.
Official website
AT&T History and science resources at The Franklin Institute's Case Files online exhibit.
Further reading[edit]
Coll, Steve, The Deal of the Century: The Breakup of AT&T, New York: Atheneum.
[show]
v
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e
AT&T
History
Corporate directors
Chairman, CEO and president
Randall L. Stephenson
Randall L. Stephenson – Chairman and CEO
Joyce M. Roché
Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr.
Richard W. Fisher
Scott T. Ford
Glenn H. Hutchins
William E. Kennard
Michael B. McCallister
Beth E. Mooney
Matthew K. Rose
Cynthia B. Taylor
Laura D'Andrea Tyson
Geoffrey Y. Yang
Acquired companies
AT&T Corporation
Ameritech
BellSouth
DirecTV
Leap Wireless
Pacific Telesis
Southern New England Telecommunications
AT&T Mexico
Unefón
Bell Operating Companies
BellSouth Telecommunications
Illinois Bell
Indiana Bell
Michigan Bell
Nevada Bell
Ohio Bell
Pacific Bell
Southwestern Bell
Wisconsin Bell
Competitive local exchange carrier
SBC Telecom
Long distance services
Alascom
AT&T Corporation
BellSouth Long Distance
SBC Long Distance
AT&T Mobility
Cricket Wireless
Alltel
Ameritech Cellular
AT&T Wireless Services
BellSouth Mobility
BellSouth Mobility DCS
Centennial Wireless
Dobson Communications
Houston Cellular
Pacific Bell Wireless
Pacific Bell Wireless Northwest
SBC Wireless
SNET Mobility
Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems
Southwestern Bell Wireless
Internet services
IP services (VoIP, IPTV)
U-verse
Subscription Services
DirecTV Now
AT&T Internet Services
Ameritech Interactive Media Services
Pacific Bell Internet Services
Prodigy
Southwestern Bell Internet Services
Other ISPs
AT&T Business Internet
BellSouth FastAccess DSL
Directories
Anywho.com
Yellowpages.com
Television channels
AT&T Sports Networks
AT&T SportsNet
Northwest (40%)
Pittsburgh
Rocky Mountain
Southwest
Utah
Other
Game Show Network (42%)
MLB Network (16.67%)
Audience
Telephone directories
YP Holdings (47%)
AT&T Intellectual Property
AT&T Intellectual Property I
AT&T Intellectual Property II
AT&T Intellectual Property Marketing
AT&T Properties
Ameritech Properties
Research and development
AT&T Labs
Otter Media (50%)
Fullscreen
Rooster Teeth
McBeard
Ellation
VRV
Crunchyroll (Crunchyroll Manga)
Hello Sunshine
Gunpowder & Sky
Maritime Communication Services
Wireless Maritime Services
[show]
Links to related articles
[show]
v
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e
United States landline telephone companies
Alaska Communications
AT&T
CenturyLink
Cincinnati Bell
Claro Puerto Rico
Consolidated Communications
FairPoint Communications
Emery Telcom
Frontier Communications
GCI
GTA Teleguam
Hawaiian Telcom
TDS Telecom
Verizon Communications
Windstream Communications
[show]
v
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e
Spinoffs of American Telephone & Telegraph Company
[hide]
First generation
1929
Graybar Electric Company
1956
Northern Electric (via Western Electric)
1975
Bell Canada
1984 Divestiture
Ameritech
Bell Atlantic
Bell Communications Research
BellSouth
NYNEX
Pacific Telesis
Southwestern Bell Corporation
US West
1991–1993
Unix System Laboratories
1996
Lucent Technologies
NCR
1997
AT&T Submarine Systems
sold to Tyco International
2001
AT&T Wireless Services
2003
AT&T Broadband
[hide]
Second generation spinoffs
Lucent Technologies
Advanced American Telephones (2000)
Avaya (2000)
QLT Consumer Lease Services (2000)
Agere Systems (2002)
MediaOne Group
(f/k/a US West)
U S WEST (1998)
NCR
Teradata (2007)
Pacific Telesis
AirTouch (1994)
Qwest
Dex Media (2002)
Regional Bells
Telcordia Technologies (1997)
SBC Communications / AT&T
R.H. Donnelley Publishing and Advertising of Illinois (2004)
YP Holdings (2012)
Southern New England Telephone (2014)
Verizon Communications
Hawaiian Telcom (2005)
Idearc (2006)
Northern New England Spinco (2008)
New Communications Holdings (2010)
Frontier California
Frontier Florida
Frontier Southwest (2014)
[show]
v
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Bell System
[hide]
Parent company
American Telephone and Telegraph Company
[hide]
Local telephone companies still extant
Wholly owned
Bell Telephone Company of Nevada
The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania
The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company
The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Maryland
The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia
The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Virginia
Diamond State Telephone
Illinois Bell
Indiana Bell
Michigan Bell
Mountain Bell
New England Telephone
New Jersey Bell
New York Telephone
Northwestern Bell
Ohio Bell
Pacific Northwest Bell
Pacific Telephone
South Central Bell
Southern Bell
Southwestern Bell
Wisconsin Telephone
Partially owned
Southern New England Telephone
Cincinnati Bell
[hide]
Other subsidiaries
Manufacturing
Western Electric
Research
Bell Labs
Long distance
Long Lines
Wireless
Advanced Mobile Phone Service
Regional Bell Companies
Bell Canada (1880-1975)
[hide]
Historical
Commemorative
Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
Bell Boatyard
Bell Homestead National Historic Site
Bell Telephone Memorial
Telephone Pioneers of America
Spirit of Communication
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Bell Telephone Company
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International Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company of Canada
Northern Electric
Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company
AT&T Technologies, Inc.
[hide]
Related topics
Divestiture
Regional Bell Operating Company
[show]
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DXC Technology
Fujitsu
HCL Technologies
Hitachi Consulting
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Indra Sistemas
Infosys
Infor
KPMG
Leidos
NEC
NTT DATA
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T-Systems
Tata Consultancy Services
Tech Mahindra
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Wipro
Imaging
Canon Inc.
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Eastman Kodak
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Lexmark
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Vox Media
Yandex
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Amazon Web Services
Google
IBM
Microsoft
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Rackspace
Salesforce.com
E-commerce only
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Amazon.com
eBay
Flipkart
Groupon
JD.com
Shopify
Rakuten
Mainframes
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IBM
Mobile devices
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Amazon.com
Apple (iOS)
Asus
BBK Electronics (OPPO, OnePlus, Vivo)
BlackBerry Limited
Google (Android)
Hisense
HTC
Huawei
I-Mobile
Karbonn
Lava (XOLO)
Lenovo (Motorola Mobility)
LG Electronics
Meizu
Micromax (YU)
Microsoft
Nokia (HMD Global)
Panasonic
Samsung
Sony
TCL Corporation
True
Xiaomi
ZTE
Networking equipment
Avaya
Cisco Systems
Ericsson
Fujitsu
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Huawei
Juniper Networks
Motorola Solutions
NEC
Nokia
Qualcomm
ZTE
OEMs
Celestica
Compal Electronics
Flextronics
Foxconn
Jabil
Pegatron
Quanta
Sanmina Corporation
TPV Technology
Wistron Corporation
Personal computers
and servers
Acer Inc.
Apple Inc.
Asus
Dell
Fujitsu
HP Inc.
Lenovo
LG Electronics
NEC
Panasonic
Positivo
Samsung Electronics
Toshiba
Servers only
Cisco Systems
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
IBM
Inspur
Oracle Corporation
Financial technology
Euronet Worldwide
FIS
PayPal
Fiserv
Jack Henry
SWIFT
Square
Point of sale
Casio
NCR
Panasonic
Samsung Electronics
Seiko Epson
Sharp
Star Micronics
Toshiba
Wincor Nixdorf
Semiconductors
Advanced Micro Devices
Broadcom
Fujitsu
Infineon Technologies
Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.
Intel
LG Electronics
Marvell Technology Group
MediaTek
Micron Technology
Nvidia
NXP Semiconductors (Freescale)
ON Semiconductor
Panasonic
Qualcomm
Renesas Electronics
Samsung Electronics
SK Hynix
Sony
STMicroelectronics
Texas Instruments
Toshiba
VIA Technologies
Foundries
GlobalFoundries
TSMC
United Microelectronics Corporation
Samsung Foundry
SMIC
Equipment
ASML
Applied Materials
KLA-Tencor
Lam Research
Tokyo Electron
Software
Adobe Systems
Amadeus IT Group
Apple Inc.
Autodesk
BMC Software
CA Technologies
FIS
Google
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
IBM
Intuit
Infor
Microsoft
Oracle Corporation
Quest Software
Sage Group
SAP SE
Symantec
VMware
Telecommunications
América Móvil
AT&T
Bell Canada
Bezeq
Bharti Airtel
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
BT Group
CenturyLink
China Mobile
China Telecommunications Corporation
China Telecom
China Unicom
Chunghwa Telecom
Comcast
Deutsche Telekom
Hutchison Asia
Idea Cellular
Jio
KDDI
KPN
KT Corporation
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam
MTN
MTS
Nippon
NTT DoCoMo
Oi
Orange S.A.
PCCW
Reliance
Rogers
Shaw
Singtel
SK Telecom
SoftBank Mobile
Spark
Sprint Corporation
Swisscom
Taiwan Mobile
Tata Teleservices
Telecom Italia
Telefónica
Telenor
Telus
Telmex
Telstra
TPG
True
Türk Telekom
Veon
Verizon
Viettel
Vivendi
Vodafone
Travel technology
Amadeus IT Group
Sabre Corporation
Travelport
Video games
Activision Blizzard
Atari
Bandai Namco
Capcom
Disney Mobile
Electronic Arts
Epic Games
Gameloft
Glu Mobile
LucasArts
Koei Tecmo
Konami
Marvelous
Microsoft
NCsoft
Nexon
Nintendo
Nippon Ichi Software
Sega
SNK
Sony
Square Enix
Take-Two Interactive
Tencent
Ubisoft
Valve
Warner Bros.
Methodology: FY2014/15 applicable revenues of over: group 1-3, 6-12 - US$3 billion; group 4 - US$2 billion; group 5,13,16 - US$1 billion
[show]
v
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Internet service providers of the United States
Cable ISP
Adams Cable
Advanced Cable Communications
Allegiance Communications
Altice USA
Optimum
Suddenlink Communications
Armstrong
Atlantic Broadband
Blue Ridge Communications
Broadstripe
Buckeye Broadband
Cable One
Charter Spectrum
Comcast Xfinity
Consolidated Communications
FairPoint Communications
Cox Communications
Docomo Pacific
Emery Telcom
Full Channel
GCI
Hargray
Layer3 TV
Mediacom
Midco
Northland Communications
OneLink Communications
Satview Broadband
Service Electric
SRT Communications
TDS Telecom
TPG
Grande Communications
RCN Corporation
Wave Broadband
TruVista Communications
WOW!
Satellite ISP
Dish (HughesNet)
Exede
Fiber ISP
AT&T Fiber (U-Verse)
CenturyLink
Cincinnati Bell FiOptics
Claro
Consolidated Communications
FairPoint Communications
Digital West
EPB
Frontier FiOS
Google Fiber
GTA Teleguam
Hawaiian Telcom
Layer3 TV
Midco
NEP Telephone
TDS Telecom
Verizon FiOS
Windstream
Copper / DSL ISP
AT&T Internet (U-Verse)
CenturyLink
Consolidated Communications
FairPoint Communications
Digital West
Frontier Communications
TDS Telecom
Verizon
Windstream
Defunct ISP
AGIS
ANS
Atala T
Boston CitiNet
ATMNet
Excite@Home
Prodigy
Pure TalkUSA
Texas.net
WorldWide Access
Related topics
Economy of the United States
Internet in the United States
Internet censorship
Mass surveillance
ARPANET
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Spelling bee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the episode of Psych, see Spellingg Bee. For the annual spelling bee held in the United States, see Scripps National Spelling Bee. For other uses, see Spelling bee (disambiguation).
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
A spelling bee at an elementary school, with a speller addressing an audience and a judge, with other contestants behind them
A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States,[citation needed] and spelling bee events, along with variants, are now also held in some other countries around the world. The first winner of an official spelling bee was Frank Neuhauser, who won the 1st National Spelling Bee (now known as the Scripps National Spelling Bee) in Washington, D.C. in 1925 at age eleven.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
3 In other regions, countries and communities
3.1 Africa
3.2 Asia
3.3 Australia
3.4 Bangladesh
3.5 Canada
3.6 Kuwait
3.7 Nigeria
3.8 Nepal
3.9 Pakistan
3.10 United Arab Emirates
3.11 United Kingdom
3.12 United States of America
4 School spelling bees
5 See also
6 References
Etymology[edit]
Historically the word bee has been used to describe a get-together for communal work, like a husking bee, a quilting bee, or an apple bee. According to etymological research recorded in dictionaries, the word probably comes from dialectal been or bean (meaning "help given by neighbors"), which came from Middle English bene (meaning "prayer", "boon" and "extra service by a tenant to his lord").[2][3]
History[edit]
"Cousin Reginald Spells Peloponnesus." (Norman Rockwell, 1918)
The earliest known evidence of the phrase spelling bee in print dates back to 1850, although an earlier name, spelling match, has been traced back to 1808.[4] A key impetus for the contests was Noah Webster's spelling books. First published in 1786 and known colloquially as "The Blue-backed Speller," Webster's spelling books were an essential part of the curriculum of all elementary school children in the United States for five generations. Now the key reference for the contests is the Webster's Third New International Dictionary.[5]
The United States National Spelling Bee was started in 1925 by The Courier-Journal, the newspaper of Louisville, Kentucky. In 1941, the Scripps Howard News Service acquired sponsorship of the program, and the name changed to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee (later simply "Scripps National Spelling Bee"). Besides competitors from the 50 U.S. states, several come from Canada, the Bahamas, New Zealand and European countries.
In the United States, spelling bees are annually held from local levels up to the level of the Scripps National Spelling Bee which awards a cash prize to the winner. The National Spelling Bee is sponsored by English-language newspapers and educational foundations; it is also broadcast on ESPN. Since 2006, the National Spelling Bee's championship rounds have been broadcast on ABC live. In 2005, contestants came from the Bahamas, Jamaica, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Canada, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and a German military base, as well as the United States. This was the first year that spellers from Canada and New Zealand attended the competition. The final authority for words is the Webster's Third New International Dictionary.[5] The annual study list is available from Scripps, either online or in print.
The National Senior Spelling Bee started in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1996.[6] Sponsored by the Wyoming AARP, it is open to contestants 50 and older. Maria Dawson is the only contestant to ever win two back-to-back titles at the National Senior Spelling Bee.
The South Asian Spelling Bee is another spelling bee platform in the US. This annual contest takes place across the US each summer in search of the next South Asian-American spelling champ between the ages of 8 and 14 years old. Launched in 2008, the South Asian Spelling Bee will tour 10 US cities in 2011 and is broadcast globally via the satellite channel, Sony Entertainment Television Asia.
Holding spelling bees in English, with its irregular spelling, makes more sense than in languages that have much more regular spelling.[7]
In other regions, countries and communities[edit]
Africa[edit]
In Africa, a spelling bee is organized by the African Spelling Bee, which holds an Annual Spelling Bee contest for children between the age of 7 and 16 across the continent. The first competition took place in July 2016, bringing together nine different countries.
There are several countries that run their own national spelling bees, including Uganda which holds the National Spelling Bee organized by enjuba in 10 different languages, including 8 local languages, sign language and English.
Nigeria's spelling bee is called the Nigeria Spelling Bee organized by the Bee Spelling Competition Initiative in states across the federation of Nigeria[8].
Botswana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Rwanda are also part of the African Spelling Bee with the number of countries still growing.[9]
Asia[edit]
In Asia, a spelling bee is being conducted up to the international level by MaRRS Spelling Bee. The competition involves learning the correct spelling of words, their use in sentences and in multiple contexts.[10] Currently, it is being held in India, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Bahrain, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras-al-Khaima, Sharjah, and Umm-Al-Quwain.[11] Also in Bahrain, an annual spelling bee contest named Spellbound Bahrain is conducted for the school children by KEEN4, an association of Kerala Engineers.
In Malaysia, the annual NST-RHB Spell-it-Right Challenge is open to primary and secondary school students under the Malaysian education syllabus. The competition is carried out in three rounds: the Preliminary Challenge, State Challenge and National Challenge. The preliminary challenge is a written spelling test, from which the top 100 spellers will be chosen to compete in the State Challenge, where the competition is carried out orally. The 1st prize winner from this stage will then represent their states to compete for the title of National Spell-it-Right Champion in the National Challenge.
In Taiwan, the National Spelling Bee Championship is a contest held by Bugstation.tv for young English learners. Thousands of young applicants join this contest each year. Another organisation that promotes the love of the English language is Horizons Unlimited, which in 2011 organized an India Spelling Bee contest for children in the southern state of Kerala in India.
The annual Asia Spelling Cup is held in different cities throughout Asia, and uses mobile pre-selection testing to identify finalists.
Australia[edit]
In Western Australia, a spelling bee is held by the State Library Foundation of Western Australia, for children in school years 5, 6, 7 and 8. The early stages of the competition are held online, and the final spell-off in front of a live audience.[12] Two major prizes are awarded: one for a Junior Winner (Years 5-6) and the other for a Senior Winner (Years 7-8). Further prizes are given to the teacher and school class of each major prize winner, and to the most improved speller each week.[13]
Bangladesh[edit]
Starting in 2012, Bangladesh's most renowned English daily newspaper, The Daily Star and e-Learning portal Champs21.com have been organizing a televised spelling bee on Channel i for the students of class six to ten from Bengali and English medium backgrounds, who compete through their schools and the Champs21 website. The spelling bee team visits 7 divisional cities (Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna & Barisal) to test top 1% speller and top 96 speller of the season participate in the television show. The competition is the first such arrangement in Bangladesh. The champion is rewarded with a trip to Washington, DC. The winners of season 2 met the honorable president of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Advocate Abdul Hamid.[14]
Canada[edit]
The Postmedia Canspell National Spelling Bee is the only Scripps affiliated Canadian spelling bee held annually nationwide in Canada since 2005. The bee is affiliated with the United States-based Scripps National Spelling Bee and uses similar rules and word lists, and competes in all 10 Canadian provinces to provide a Canadian National Champion for the penultimate Scripps competition.
It should not be confused with another organization, calling itself the Spelling Bee of Canada, which started in 1987 in Toronto, Ontario, and is now celebrating its 25th anniversary, and hosting a Canadian Invitational Bee in 2012, as well as organizing Provincial Bees across Canada, and the world.
Kuwait[edit]
In the school year 2008–2009, Mrs. Wijdan Alawadhi (senior teacher) and Mrs. Mona Yehia (teacher of English) started the spelling bee contest in Mubarak al-Kabir Educational Area (one of the biggest Kuwaiti Governorates). They started the contest as an experiment contest in their school (Thabet Bin Zaid Primary School for Boys) with the fourth and fifth grades. It was a successful experiment which was faced with a lot of appreciation from Mrs. Aisha Al Awadhi, ELT Senior Supervisor of English Language supervision. Then they decided to hold the competition among the whole educational area (Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational area). In 2010–2011, the contest was held with 27 schools (12 schools for boys and 15 for girls - around 2700 pupils). Each school nominated a pupil from the fifth grade to participate.
In 2012–2013, 30 schools participated. All the 30 pupils participated anxiously to win the competition with 200 words. It becomes officially an authorized contest in Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area (Kuwaiti Spelling Bee) in Kuwait. In the school year 2013–2014 the competition was held in Al-Imam Al-Shafie primary school for boys with 31 schools and the words list contained 260 words.
In 2014–2015 with the patronage of Mr. Talaq Al-Hiem the director of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area the competition held with the participation of 33 schools (16 girls, 15 boys and 2 LD) in Sabah AL-Salem Primary school with the help of its principal Mrs. Amira Baqer. Mrs. Aisha Al-Awadhi and the success of the competition convinced the ELT General supervision to decide the competition as Kuwait National Spelling Bee for the coming year 2015–2016.
Nigeria[edit]
The Nigeria Spelling Bee is organized in across states of the federation with national finalists drawn after qualifying from their respective states and either of the 6 geo-political zones of the country[15]. The Nigeria Spelling Bee which is the widest spelling bee competition in the country has so far been conducted in more than 25 states across Nigeria by the organizers (Bee Spelling Competition Initiative[8]) which has been endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture and other states ministries of Education.
Winners of the Nigeria Spelling Bee competition win up to N1,000,000 in scholarship and participate in the annual African Spelling Bee which is a continental event organized by the African Spelling Bee Consortium as the official Nigerian delegates[16].
The competition is for students in any registered school in Nigeria from the ages of 9years to 16years who have to register on the competition's website - www.nigeriaspellingbee.com/register
Nepal[edit]
In 2010, Spelling bee was held for the first time in Nepal organized by Rotaract Club of Charumati. Where Benish Shrestha, Grade 10, Galaxy Public School who came first, Bibek Rauniyar, Grade 10, Gillette International Boarding School who came second and Arnav Singh from Grade 9 Little Angels School who secured third position.
Pakistan[edit]
In Pakistan, the spelling bee competition is promoted by Dawn,[clarification needed] and it takes place every year in October. There are three stages: district, regional and national. National is held in Islamabad. Dawn Spelling Bee is conducted in three stages. District and pool rounds are the first stage of the competition which are held across the districts and cities all across Pakistan. District champions compete in the Regional Championships which are held in 3 regions: Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Three regional winners from each group consisting of the regional champion, first runner up and second runner up compete in the national finals in Islamabad. Karachi Grammar School, EMS High School. Beaconhouse School System, Lahore Grammar School has won the competition several times. Laiba Ejaz of Roots School System, Saud Afzal Shafi of Beaconhouse School System, Saad-uz-Zaman Adhami of Aitchison College and Jazim Nadeem of EMS High School have made it several times to finals in Islamabad and emerged as winners.
United Arab Emirates[edit]
Sylvan Learning Center, a supplemental education organization from the United States, has organized an annual competition for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah-area schools. The Sylvan Spelling Challenge is held annually in December and February for students in grades 3-8. The Sylvan competition expects to attract nearly 1,000 participants from 30 schools in its inaugural year.
Abu Dhabi University sponsors the largest Spelling Bee in the United Arab Emirates, attracting students from both public and private institutions for the past three years. The Abu Dhabi University Spelling Bee is heralded as the most challenging and well-known spelling competition in the United Arab Emirates.
United Kingdom[edit]
In 1876 there were newspaper reports of spelling bees in a number of towns in the United Kingdom. Since 2009, The Times newspaper has run a spelling bee for schools: The Times Spelling Bee.
United States of America[edit]
Main article: Scripps National Spelling Bee
Serious spelling bee competitors in the United States will study affixes and etymologies, and often foreign languages from which English draws, in order to spell challenging words. Several preparatory materials have been published, including some in connection with the Scripps National Spelling Bee and those created by independent organizations not related to Scripps.
For the first several decades of publication, the Scripps annual study booklet was named Words of the Champions, which offered 3,000 words in a list separated into beginning, intermediate & expert groupings. In the mid-1990s the annual study list changed to Paideia (from the Greek word meaning education and culture), which ultimately contained more than 4,100 words, then again in 2006 to the shorter list, entitled Spell It!, the 2009 edition having 1155 words (911 basic words and 244 challenge words).
The Consolidated Word List, also published by Scripps and available on the National Spelling Bee website, consists of all words used in the National Bee as far back as 1950. It is organized into three sections: Words Appearing Infrequently, Words Appearing with Moderate Frequency, and Word Appearing Frequently. Nearly 800 pages and 24,000 words long, the Consolidated Word List is intended for those who have mastered the basics and already gone through Spell It!. Spelling bee participants in the United States also use other reference books and tutoring materials are becoming available on the web.
School spelling bees[edit]
Spelling bee students usually start competition in elementary school (primary school) or middle school. Classes compete against other classes in the same grade, or level, and the winning class is determined by the score of each class. On an individual level, school spelling bees determine which child will represent his or her school at district, state and national competitions.
In Uganda, School Spelling Bees[17] start in the classroom, where a teacher introduces new words during normal lessons. In preparation for the School Spelling Day, these children compete against each other to get the winners who then go on to compete with others to determine the School team, which normally has 3 students for the English category and 1 for local language. The winners here go on to the district competition and then the regional competition.
See also[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spelling bees.
Chinese Characters Dictation Competition
Dictation (exercise)
Kanji kentei
Spelling alphabet
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Fox, Margalit (2011-03-22). "Frank Neuhauser, a Speller's Speller, Dies at 97". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
Jump up ^ Dictionary.com Bee Retrieved March 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Definition of BEE". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
Jump up ^ Barry Popik, "Spelling Bee (Spelling Match)," The Big Apple (April 13, 2013; accessed April 16, 2013).
^ Jump up to: a b Contest rules. spellingbee.com.
Jump up ^ "AARP's 12th Annual National Senior Spelling Bee to Take Place June 16 in Cheyenne, Wyoming". 2007-06-12. aarp.org.
Jump up ^ McWhorter, John. "English is not normal". Aeon (digital magazine). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "About Us". Nigeria Spelling Bee. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
Jump up ^ African Spelling Bee Consortium. africanspellingbee.com
Jump up ^ "Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Being a spelling bee pays off". The Hindu. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
Jump up ^ "About MaRRS International Spelling Bee". Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
Jump up ^ "About Spelling Bee". spellingbee.org.au. State Library Foundation of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
Jump up ^ "Prizes". spellingbee.org.au. State Library Foundation of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
Jump up ^ "winners meet the president". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
Jump up ^ "Nigeria Spelling Bee". Nigeria Spelling Bee. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
Jump up ^ "13-year old Nigerian shines in continental Spelling Bee - COMPLETE ENTERTAINMENT". COMPLETE ENTERTAINMENT. 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
Jump up ^ "Uganda Spelling Bee - Words Change the World". Uganda Spelling Bee - Words Change the World. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
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