SNET
Encyclopedia
The Southern New England Telephone Company (commonly referred to as SNET by its customers) is a local exchange carrier
owned by AT&T
. It started operations on January 27, 1878 as the District Telephone Company of New Haven. It was the founder of the first telephone exchange, as well as the world's first telephone book. Since its inception, SNET has held a monopoly on most of the telephone services in the state of Connecticut
; the only remaining exception is the Greenwich and Byram exchanges where Verizon New York
provides telephone service.
SNET and Cincinnati Bell
were the only two companies in the old Bell System
that the old AT&T
only had a minority stake in; by 1983, AT&T's stake was only 19.6 percent. Therefore, neither is considered a Bell Operating Company; rather, they are considered independents.
The Southern New England Telephone Company was purchased in 1998 by SBC Communications, which subsequently purchased the old AT&T, taking its name as the "new" AT&T. The Southern New England Telephone Company currently does business as
AT&T Connecticut.
On June 1, 2007, AT&T absorbed the operations of Woodbury Telephone
into Southern New England Telephone. Woodbury Telephone is now defunct.
Local exchange carrier
Local Exchange Carrier is a regulatory term in telecommunications for the local telephone company.In the United States, wireline telephone companies are divided into two large categories: long distance and local...
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...
. It started operations on January 27, 1878 as the District Telephone Company of New Haven. It was the founder of the first telephone exchange, as well as the world's first telephone book. Since its inception, SNET has held a monopoly on most of the telephone services in the state of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
; the only remaining exception is the Greenwich and Byram exchanges where Verizon New York
New York Telephone
The New York Telephone Company was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company.-Predecessor companies:...
provides telephone service.
Cincinnati Bell
Cincinnati Bell is the dominant telephone company for Cincinnati, Ohio, and its nearby suburbs in the U.S. states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The parent company is named Cincinnati Bell Inc. Its incumbent local exchange carrier subsidiary uses the name Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company LLC,...
were the only two companies in the old Bell System
Bell 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...
that the old AT&T
AT&T Corporation
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...
only had a minority stake in; by 1983, AT&T's stake was only 19.6 percent. Therefore, neither is considered a Bell Operating Company; rather, they are considered independents.
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
AT&T Connecticut.
On June 1, 2007, AT&T absorbed the operations of Woodbury Telephone
Woodbury Telephone
The Woodbury Telephone Company was a telephone company serving Woodbury, Southbury and Bethlehem, Connecticut. It is now owned by AT&T. Woodbury Telephone was acquired by Southern New England Telecommunications in 1997, approximately one year later SNET merged with SBC Communications...
into Southern New England Telephone. Woodbury Telephone is now defunct.