Verizon South, Inc. is a
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
operating company providing local telephone services to portions of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
.
History
Verizon South was originally established in 1947 as The Bluefield Telephone Corporation, providing telephone service to communities in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
including its namesake
Bluefield. The company's first president was
R.A. Phillips
Ra is the Sun-god of Ancient Egypt.
Ra or RA may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* Ra (Stargate), a character from the film ''Stargate'', based on the Egyptian god
* ''Ra'' (1972 film), a 1972 documentary film about ...
and was formally incorporated by
Judson Large,
Dean A. Esling,
Richard L. Merrick,
William W. Darrow, and
Roland K. Smith, Jr.
The company changed its name to Bluefield Telephone Company on January 16, 1948.
Acquisition by GTE
Bluefield Telephone was acquired by
GTE and in 1954 changed its name to General Telephone Company of the Southeast on June 25, 1954. The company began expansion under GTE ownership, absorbing a large group of telephone companies acquired in 1957. These companies included Durham Telephone Company of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, Georgia Continental Telephone Company, South Carolina Continental Telephone Company, Southeastern Carolina Telephone Company, Southern Continental Telephone Company, and Sumter Telephone Company. In 1970, the company absorbed more
GTE companies, including General Telephone Company of Georgia, General Telephone Company of North Carolina, Mutual Telephone Company, Inc., Pee Dee Telephone Company, 'and United Telephone Co in Alabama
Corporate Filings for: Verizon South, Inc., Articles of Merger, November 6, 1970, North Carolina Secretary of State
/ref>
In 1986, the company changed its name to General Telephone Company of the South, later shortening in 1988 to GTE South Incorporated. At this point, GTE South served Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
, Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...
, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = G ...
, Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
, and West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
.
In 1993, GTE South operations in Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
and West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
were sold to Frontier Communications Citizens Utilities
A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that front ...
to become Citizens Telecommunications Company of Tennessee and Citizens Telecommunications Company of West Virginia
Citizens Telecommunications Company of West Virginia is the local exchange carrier of telephone service in some regions in West Virginia.
The company was founded in 1897 as the Short Line Telephone Company. In 1975, the company changed its name ...
, respectively. GTE South lines in Georgia were traded with Alltel
Alltel Wireless was a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before acquisitions by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, it served 34 states and had approximately 13 million subscribers. As a regulatory condition of the acquisition ...
's Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
operations.
In 1994, former Contel
ConTel Corporation (Continental Telephone) was the third largest independent phone company in the United States prior to the 1996 telecom deregulation. It was acquired by GTE in 1991.
History
In 1980, Contel purchased Network Analysis Corp, th ...
companies Contel of Kentucky, Contel of North Carolina, Contel of South Carolina, and Contel of Virginia were legally merged into GTE South.
Acquisition by Verizon
In 2000, Bell Atlantic
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...
bought GTE, forming Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
. GTE South was then renamed Verizon South, Inc.
In 2002, Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
sold its operations in Alabama to CenturyTel
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is a ...
, becoming CenturyTel of Alabama. Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
also sold its operations in Kentucky to Alltel
Alltel Wireless was a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before acquisitions by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, it served 34 states and had approximately 13 million subscribers. As a regulatory condition of the acquisition ...
, becoming Kentucky ALLTEL (who later sold its wireline operations to Valor Telecom, renamed Windstream
Windstream Holdings, Inc., also doing business as Windstream Communications or Windstream, is a provider of voice and data network communications (broadband, VoIP, MPLS), and managed services ( virtual servers, managed firewall, data storage, clo ...
, and the operating company becoming Windstream Kentucky East).
Split
In 2010, operations in southern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, North Carolina (with the exception of Knotts Island), and South Carolina were included in a sale of Verizon assets, placed under the ownership of Frontier Communications ILEC Holdings
Frontier Communications ILEC Holdings, Inc. is a company created by Verizon Communications in 2009.
History
The company, sold to Frontier Communications on July 1, 2010, serves as a holding company for former Bell System, Contel, and GTE telep ...
, to Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008) is an American telecommunications company. The company previously served primarily rural areas and s ...
. The operations in those states became Frontier Communications of the Carolinas
Frontier Communications of the Carolinas LLC is an operating company created in 2009 when some assets of Verizon South were split off and sold to Frontier Communications. The company provides local telephone service to former Verizon (formerly G ...
.
Today
Verizon South remains a current operating company of Verizon serving former GTE and Contel regions in Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
and Knotts Island, North Carolina.
References
External links
Verizon South, Inc.
{{Verizon
Verizon Communications
Communications in Virginia
Communications in North Carolina
Telecommunications companies established in 1947
1947 establishments in Virginia