AT&T Communications
Encyclopedia
AT&T Communications - East, Inc. was a holding company for the 23 subsidiaries that provide interexchange carrier
and long distance telephone services owned by AT&T
.
Long Lines wire, cable, and microwave radio relay network provided long-distance transport services to AT&T and its customers from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. Formal opening of the coast-to-coast connection was on August 17, 1951. A sophisticated achievement, Long Lines provided computerized reconfiguration of microwave
circuits coast-to-coast via AT&T's network control center in New York City
. By the 1970s, Long Lines carried 95% of all long-haul television
traffic and 70% of intercity telephone
calls in the United States
.
Before utilizing microwave relay and coaxial cable
s, AT&T used heavy-duty carrier grade
open-wire lines for long distance service. In 1911, the system connected New York to Denver. The introduction of vacuum tube
amplifiers in 1914 allowed such connections to reach across North America. In the 1930s the company experimented with long-distance coaxial cable. The first long-distance L-carrier
coaxial link in 1936 connected Philadelphia and New York
. With improved klystron
s and other devices devised for World War II
, it was quickly determined that microwave relay networks were less expensive and easier to build, especially over mountainous regions and rough terrain, and Long Lines evolved into a hybrid network. L-4 and L-5 coaxial systems connected all major US cities and a digital millimeter waveguide system connected New York to Philadelphia, but the primary medium was C band
microwave air links using the company's distinctive Hogg horn antennas.
A presidential address from Harry Truman inaugurated the Long Lines network, demonstrating coast-to-coast service. The Long Lines network allowed events such as ABC
's Monday Night Football
to be broadcast live nationally and Long Lines also permitted distribution of regional sports events, such as Saturday football games prior to the adaptation of satellite communications in the 1970s.
By the 1980s, alternatives (including fiber optics and satellites) were replacing microwave as the preferred network transport, but the remnants of the Long Lines microwave network can still be seen across the country in the form of abandoned relay towers, or towers being employed for other purposes (for example, public safety communications and cellular phone sites).
's five boroughs were dialed from various communities in New Jersey
with the digits '1-1' followed by the 7 digit telephone number. While New York City was assigned area code 212 at the very beginning of the Area Code format in October 1947, it wouldn't be until later in the 1950s when Englewood, New Jersey
customers would dial their calls to New York City using the digits 2-1-2. The use of the '11+' code from Englewood (and other parts of northeastern New Jersey) to call New York City had been in place for a while, even prior to 1951. New York City's five boroughs also had been dialing northeastern New Jersey as 11+ the two letters and five digits of the New Jersey number as well for a while prior to 1951 and until the later 1950s.
The telephone industry made a United States "first" in the New Jersey communities of Englewood and Teaneck with the introduction of what is known now as direct distance dialing (DDD). Starting on November 10, 1951, customers of the ENglewood 3, ENglewood 4 and TEaneck 7 exchanges (who could already dial New York City and area) were able to dial 11 cities across the United States, simply by dialing the three-digit area code and the seven digit number.
The use of area code 201 to call New Jersey from New York City didn't begin until the later 1950s. Other cities in northeastern New Jersey were dialable in 1951 (and for a few years prior) from Englewood by simply dialing the two letters of the exchange name and remaining five digits. In addition to New York City, the Nassau County
part of Long Island
was dialable from Englewood and Teaneck
using area code 516. Also Westchester County
, Rockland County
, and portions of Orange
and Putnam
Counties were also dialable from Englewood and Teaneck in 1951 using area code 914.
Even when most users had Direct Distance Dialing, the company continued to advertise with the slogan "The voice with a smile" referring to the operators. Early in the 20th century, the telephone companies organized a "Separations and Settlements" process by which Long Lines and the local companies, Bell and Independent, divided the revenues of long distance calls according to their respective costs. The mid-century advent of microwave and other high capacity systems dramatically cut the cost of long-haul operations, but pricing did not decline proportionally. Rather, the local fraction of revenue-sharing rose to subsidize local service. This system became obsolete with the rise of competitive long distance and the later abolition of the Bell System.
.
AT&T divided AT&T Communications up into operating companies, serving the regions of each Bell Operating Company, resulting in:
Following the Telecommunications Act of 1996
, AT&T Communications began reselling Bell Operating Company-provided telephone service at lower prices to compete with the Baby Bells. Such services were done through AT&T Consumer, a new sales unit created to incorporate local and long-distance services provided by AT&T Communications.
In 2004, AT&T stopped trying to seek new traditional landline customers, following a court ruling which reversed a previous decision that allowed CLECs to have access to the telephone lines owned by the Baby Bells. As a result, AT&T CallVantage
was created, as a VoIP alternative to companies like Vonage
. AT&T Communications would still provide services to new customers, although they would not be advertised heavily.
In 2010, AT&T Communications was merged into AT&T Corp. The remaining 22 subsidiaries based on Bell Operating Company boundaries, however, remain intact.
Network Operations Center.
Interexchange carrier
An Interexchange Carrier is a U.S. legal and regulatory term for a telecommunications company, commonly called a long-distance telephone company, such as MCI , Sprint and the former AT&T in the United States...
and long distance telephone services owned by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
.
AT&T Long Lines
The American Telephone & TelegraphAmerican Telephone & Telegraph
AT&T Corp., originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies. AT&T is the oldest telecommunications company...
Long Lines wire, cable, and microwave radio relay network provided long-distance transport services to AT&T and its customers from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. Formal opening of the coast-to-coast connection was on August 17, 1951. A sophisticated achievement, Long Lines provided computerized reconfiguration of microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
circuits coast-to-coast via AT&T's network control center in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. By the 1970s, Long Lines carried 95% of all long-haul television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
traffic and 70% of intercity telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
calls in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Before utilizing microwave relay and coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
s, AT&T used heavy-duty carrier grade
Carrier grade
In telecommunication, a "carrier grade" or "carrier class" refers to a system, or a hardware or software component that is extremely reliable, well tested and proven in its capabilities...
open-wire lines for long distance service. In 1911, the system connected New York to Denver. The introduction of vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
amplifiers in 1914 allowed such connections to reach across North America. In the 1930s the company experimented with long-distance coaxial cable. The first long-distance L-carrier
L-carrier
SystemYearFrequencyCoax per cableDistance between repeatersVoice circuits per coax tubeL-119413 MHz48 miles600L-21942840 kHz416 miles360L-319508 MHz84 miles1,860L-4196717 MHz202 miles3,600L-5197257 MHz221 mile10,800L-5E197566 MHz221 mile13,200...
coaxial link in 1936 connected Philadelphia and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. With improved klystron
Klystron
A klystron is a specialized linear-beam vacuum tube . Klystrons are used as amplifiers at microwave and radio frequencies to produce both low-power reference signals for superheterodyne radar receivers and to produce high-power carrier waves for communications and the driving force for modern...
s and other devices devised for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was quickly determined that microwave relay networks were less expensive and easier to build, especially over mountainous regions and rough terrain, and Long Lines evolved into a hybrid network. L-4 and L-5 coaxial systems connected all major US cities and a digital millimeter waveguide system connected New York to Philadelphia, but the primary medium was C band
C band
The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...
microwave air links using the company's distinctive Hogg horn antennas.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
to be broadcast live nationally and Long Lines also permitted distribution of regional sports events, such as Saturday football games prior to the adaptation of satellite communications in the 1970s.
By the 1980s, alternatives (including fiber optics and satellites) were replacing microwave as the preferred network transport, but the remnants of the Long Lines microwave network can still be seen across the country in the form of abandoned relay towers, or towers being employed for other purposes (for example, public safety communications and cellular phone sites).
Direct distance dialing
In 1950, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's five boroughs were dialed from various communities in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
with the digits '1-1' followed by the 7 digit telephone number. While New York City was assigned area code 212 at the very beginning of the Area Code format in October 1947, it wouldn't be until later in the 1950s when Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
customers would dial their calls to New York City using the digits 2-1-2. The use of the '11+' code from Englewood (and other parts of northeastern New Jersey) to call New York City had been in place for a while, even prior to 1951. New York City's five boroughs also had been dialing northeastern New Jersey as 11+ the two letters and five digits of the New Jersey number as well for a while prior to 1951 and until the later 1950s.
The use of area code 201 to call New Jersey from New York City didn't begin until the later 1950s. Other cities in northeastern New Jersey were dialable in 1951 (and for a few years prior) from Englewood by simply dialing the two letters of the exchange name and remaining five digits. In addition to New York City, the Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
part of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
was dialable from Englewood and Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
using area code 516. Also Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, and portions of Orange
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
and Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
Counties were also dialable from Englewood and Teaneck in 1951 using area code 914.
Even when most users had Direct Distance Dialing, the company continued to advertise with the slogan "The voice with a smile" referring to the operators. Early in the 20th century, the telephone companies organized a "Separations and Settlements" process by which Long Lines and the local companies, Bell and Independent, divided the revenues of long distance calls according to their respective costs. The mid-century advent of microwave and other high capacity systems dramatically cut the cost of long-haul operations, but pricing did not decline proportionally. Rather, the local fraction of revenue-sharing rose to subsidize local service. This system became obsolete with the rise of competitive long distance and the later abolition of the Bell System.
AT&T Communications
Long Lines was renamed AT&T Communications in 1984 since it no longer consisted of the majority of the "lines", or the Bell Operating Companies. AT&T Communications became one of the three core sales units of AT&T after reorganization of remaining assets of the former Bell SystemBell System
The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S...
.
AT&T divided AT&T Communications up into operating companies, serving the regions of each Bell Operating Company, resulting in:
- AT&T Communications of California, Inc. (Pacific BellPacific BellThe Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company was the name of the Bell System's telephone operations in California. It gained in size by acquiring smaller telephone companies along the Pacific coast, such as Sunset Telephone & Telegraph in 1917...
) - AT&T Communications of Delaware, Inc. (Verizon DelawareDiamond State TelephoneVerizon Delaware LLC, formerly The Diamond State Telephone Company, is the Bell Operating Company of Delaware, and small parts of southeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1897, it became a part of the Bell System in 1905. When the AT&T breakup occurred in 1984, DST became managed by the Regional Bell...
) - AT&T Communications of Hawaii, Inc.
- AT&T Communications of Illinois, Inc. (Illinois BellIllinois BellIllinois Bell is the name of the Bell Operating Company serving Illinois. It is wholly owned by AT&T.Their headquarters are at 225 West Randolph St., Chicago, IL. After the 1984 Bell System Divestiture, Illinois Bell became a part of Ameritech, one of the 7 original Regional Bell Operating Companies...
) - AT&T Communications of Indiana, G.P. (Indiana BellIndiana BellIndiana Bell Telephone Company, Inc., is the Bell Operating Company serving Indiana. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc.After the 1984 Bell System Divestiture, Indiana Bell became a part of Ameritech, one of the 7 original Regional Bell Operating Companies...
) - AT&T Communications of Maryland, LLC (Verizon MarylandC&P TelephoneThe Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, usually known as C&P Telephone, was a d/b/a name for four Bell Operating Companies providing service to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia....
) - AT&T Communications of Michigan, Inc. (Michigan BellMichigan BellMichigan Bell is the subsidiary of AT&T serving the state of Michigan. Following the Bell System divestiture on January 8, 1982, the company became a subsidiary of Ameritech, the Regional Bell operating company that served the midwestern United States...
) - AT&T Communications of Nevada, Inc. (Nevada BellNevada BellNevada Bell Telephone Company, originally Bell Telephone Company of Nevada, was the Bell System's telephone provider in Nevada. It only provides telephone services to 30% of the state, not including Las Vegas, where service is provided by CenturyLink...
) - AT&T Communications of New England, Inc. (Verizon New EnglandNew England TelephoneThe New England Telephone and Telegraph Company, more commonly known as New England Telephone, was a Bell Operating Company that served most of the New England area of the United States as a part of the original AT&T for seven decades, from the creation of the national monopoly in 1907 until...
; AT&T New England merged into AT&T Corp. in 2007) - AT&T Communications of NJ, L.P. (Verizon New JerseyNew Jersey BellVerizon New Jersey, Inc., formerly New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, is the Bell Operating Company serving the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 1984, the Bell System Divestiture split New Jersey Bell off into a Regional Bell Operating Company, along with the 21 other BOCs AT&T had a majority stake in...
) - AT&T Communications of New York, Inc. (Verizon New YorkNew York TelephoneThe New York Telephone Company was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.-Predecessor companies:...
) - AT&T Communications of Ohio, Inc. (Ohio BellOhio BellThe Ohio Bell Telephone Company is the Bell Operating Company serving most of Ohio. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T.Its headquarters is the Ohio Bell Building at 750 Huron Road, Cleveland, Ohio...
) - AT&T Communications of Pennsylvania, LLC (Verizon PennsylvaniaBell of PennsylvaniaVerizon Pennsylvania, Inc., formerly Bell Telephone Company of Philadelphia, The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, and Bell Atlantic - Pennsylvania, Inc., who traded as Bell of Pennsylvania, is the Bell Operating Company serving most of Pennsylvania...
) - AT&T Communications of the Midwest, Inc. (QwestQwest CorporationQwest Corporation is a Bell Operating Company owned by CenturyLink. It was formerly named U S WEST Communications, Inc. from 1991 to 2000, and also formerly named The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1911 to 1991...
) - AT&T Communications of the Mountain States, Inc. (QwestQwest CorporationQwest Corporation is a Bell Operating Company owned by CenturyLink. It was formerly named U S WEST Communications, Inc. from 1991 to 2000, and also formerly named The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1911 to 1991...
) - AT&T Communications of the Pacific Northwest, Inc. (QwestQwest CorporationQwest Corporation is a Bell Operating Company owned by CenturyLink. It was formerly named U S WEST Communications, Inc. from 1991 to 2000, and also formerly named The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1911 to 1991...
) - AT&T Communications of the South Central States, LLC (BellSouth TelecommunicationsBellSouth TelecommunicationsBellSouth Telecommunications, LLC is the Bell Operating Company of AT&T that serves the southeastern United States. It absorbed the operations of South Central Bell in 1992....
) - AT&T Communications of the Southern States, LLC (BellSouth TelecommunicationsBellSouth TelecommunicationsBellSouth Telecommunications, LLC is the Bell Operating Company of AT&T that serves the southeastern United States. It absorbed the operations of South Central Bell in 1992....
) - AT&T Communications of the Southwest, Inc. (Southwestern BellSouthwestern BellSouthwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as AT&T Southwest and other d/b/a names in its operating region.The company is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas at One AT&T Plaza.-History:...
) - AT&T Communications of Virginia, LLC (Verizon VirginiaC&P TelephoneThe Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, usually known as C&P Telephone, was a d/b/a name for four Bell Operating Companies providing service to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia....
) - AT&T Communications of Washington D.C., LLC (Verizon Washington, D.C.C&P TelephoneThe Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, usually known as C&P Telephone, was a d/b/a name for four Bell Operating Companies providing service to Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia....
) - AT&T Communications of West Virginia, Inc. (Frontier West VirginiaFrontier West VirginiaFrontier West Virginia, Inc. is one of the original Bell Operating Companies and provides local telephone service in West Virginia.-History:...
) - AT&T Communications of Wisconsin, L.P. (Wisconsin BellWisconsin BellWisconsin Bell, Inc. is the name of the Bell Operating Company serving Wisconsin. They were a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc.....
)
Following the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, AT&T Communications began reselling Bell Operating Company-provided telephone service at lower prices to compete with the Baby Bells. Such services were done through AT&T Consumer, a new sales unit created to incorporate local and long-distance services provided by AT&T Communications.
In 2004, AT&T stopped trying to seek new traditional landline customers, following a court ruling which reversed a previous decision that allowed CLECs to have access to the telephone lines owned by the Baby Bells. As a result, AT&T CallVantage
AT&T CallVantage
AT&T CallVantage was a VoIP telephone service first offered in 2004 by AT&T Corp., upon the heels of its announcement that it would stop seeking traditional local- and long-distance land-line customers....
was created, as a VoIP alternative to companies like Vonage
Vonage
Vonage is a publicly held commercial voice over IP network and SIP company that provides telephone service via a broadband connection. The company's name is a play on their motto "Voice-Over-Net-AGE"....
. AT&T Communications would still provide services to new customers, although they would not be advertised heavily.
AT&T–SBC Communications merger
In 2005, SBC Communications purchased AT&T Corp., the parent company of AT&T Communications. SBC had already been offering its own long distance services through SBC Long Distance LLC in its own territory in competition with other long distance companies. As a result, AT&T Communications was refocused to seek new customers outside of the AT&T 13-state region served by its Bell Operating Companies. AT&T Communications was also legally renamed AT&T Communications - East, Inc.In 2010, AT&T Communications was merged into AT&T Corp. The remaining 22 subsidiaries based on Bell Operating Company boundaries, however, remain intact.
Headquarters
AT&T Communications is headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey at the AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
Network Operations Center.