BellSouth Telecommunications

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For the holding company created in 1984 as a Regional Bell Operating Company, see BellSouth.
BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.
BellSouth logo
Type Holding of BellSouth
Founded 1992
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Industry Telecommunications
Products POTS, DSL
Website www.bellsouth.com

BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. is the single Bell Operating Company of BellSouth Corporation. BellSouth Telecommunications was formed on January 1, 1992 when BellSouth merged its operating companies, Southern Bell and South Central Bell, into one entity.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Southern Bell

Southern Bell logo, 1969-1995

Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company was the Bell Operating Company serving most of the south. Southern Bell provided telephone service to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

In 1968, Southern Bell's operations in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee were split off to form South Central Bell. A similar arrangement occurred in 1961 when Pacific Northwest Bell was formed from Pacific Telephone.

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

Southern Bell was headquartered in (what is now) the BellSouth Building, in Atlanta, GA.

[edit] South Central Bell

South Central Bell logo, 1984-1995
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South Central Bell logo, 1984-1995

South Central Bell Telephone Company was the name of the Bell System's operations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky. 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 split off from Pacific Telephone & Telegraph around the same time period.

In 1984, South Central Bell became a holding of BellSouth.

South Central Bell's headquarters were in Birmingham, Alabama.

[edit] Operating Company Merger

BellSouth Center: BellSouth Telecommunications Headquarters, Atlanta, GA.
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BellSouth Center: BellSouth Telecommunications Headquarters, Atlanta, GA.

On January 1, 1992, BellSouth merged South Central Bell and Southern Bell back into a single operating company, BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., one year after U S West had done the same by creating U S West Communications. The merger essentially 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.

BellSouth Telecommunications headquarters are located in the former Southern Bell headquarters, in BellSouth Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and BellSouth Corporation's headquarters are located in the Campanile building, also in Atlanta.

On March 5, 2006, AT&T announced its intentions to acquire BellSouth Corporation. BellSouth Telecommunications may become an operating company of AT&T, if the merger is successfully completed.

[edit] See also

BellSouth Corporation

Corporate Directors: F. Duane Ackerman - Chairman & CEO | Reuben V. Anderson | James H. Blanchard | J. Hyatt Brown | Armando M. Codina | Mark L. Feidler | Kathleen F. Feldstein | James P. Kelly | Leo F. Mullin | Robin B. Smith | William S. Stavropoulos

Assets
Bell Operating Companies: Southern Bell | South Central Bell
Wireless Services: Cingular Wireless
Directory Operations: BellSouth Advertising & Publishing | YELLOWPAGES.COM

Annual Revenue: $20.547 billion USD ( FY 2005) | Employees: 63,000 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: BLS | Website: www.bellsouthcorp.com