Verizon Communications
Encyclopedia
Verizon Communications Inc. (branded as verizon) is a global broadband
and telecommunication
s company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
. It started in 1983 as Bell Atlantic (based in Philadelphia) with a footprint covering New Jersey to Virginia and emerged as part of the 1984 AT&T breakup into seven "Baby Bells
." In 1997, Bell Atlantic merged with another Regional Bell Operating Company, NYNEX
, based in New York City
with a footprint spanning from New York to Maine. The combined company kept the Bell Atlantic name. In 2000, Bell Atlantic acquired former independent phone company GTE
, and adopted the name "Verizon" (which rhymes with horizon), a portmanteau
of veritas
and horizon
. The company's headquarters are located in the Verizon Building
at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan
, New York City
.
) following its breakup. Bell Atlantic's original roster of operating companies included:
Bell Atlantic originally operated in the U.S. states of New Jersey
, Pennsylvania
, Delaware
, Maryland
, West Virginia
, and Virginia
, as well as Washington, D.C.
In 1994, Bell Atlantic became the first Regional Bell Operating Company
to entirely drop the original names of its original operating companies. Operating company titles were simplified to "Bell Atlantic - state name".
In 1996, CEO and Chairman Raymond W. Smith
orchestrated Bell Atlantic's merger with NYNEX CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg. When it merged, it moved its corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to New York City
where CEO's Smith and Seidenberg shared Co-CEO duties. NYNEX was consolidated into this name by 1997.
Prior to its merger with GTE, Bell Atlantic traded on the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) under the "BEL" symbol.
GTE merger and Verizon Wireless
Bell Atlantic acquired GTE on June 30, 2000 and changed its name to Verizon Communications Inc. It was among the largest mergers in United States business history. It was the result of a definitive merger agreement, dated July 27, 1998, between Bell Atlantic, based in New York City since the merger with NYNEX in 1996, and GTE, which was in the process of moving its headquarters from Stamford, Connecticut
, to Irving, Texas
.
The Bell Atlantic–GTE merger, priced at more than $52 billion at the time of the announcement, closed nearly two years later, following analysis and approvals by Bell Atlantic and GTE shareowners, 27 state regulatory commissions and the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and clearance from the United States Department of Justice
and various international agencies.
The merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, to form Verizon Communications, became effective on June 30, 2000. Verizon began trading on the NYSE under its new "VZ" symbol on Monday, July 3, 2000.
Bell Atlantic's CEO Ivan Seidenberg
and GTE's Charles Lee were co-CEO's from 2000 to 2002 when Seidenberg became sole CEO, a position he held until July 2011 when he was succeeded by Lowell McAdam
.
Meanwhile, on September 21, 1999, Bell Atlantic and UK-based Vodafone AirTouch Plc (now Vodafone Group Plc) announced that they had agreed to create a new wireless business with a national footprint, a single brand and a common digital technology – composed of Bell Atlantic's and Vodafone's U.S. wireless assets (Bell Atlantic Mobile (which was previously called Bell Atlantic-NYNEX Mobile by 1997), AirTouch
Cellular, PrimeCo
Personal Communications, and AirTouch
Paging).
This wireless joint venture received regulatory approval in six months, and began operations as Verizon Wireless
on April 4, 2000, kicking off the new "Verizon" brand name. GTE's wireless operations became part of Verizon Wireless – creating what was initially the nation's largest wireless company before Cingular Wireless
acquired AT&T Wireless
in 2004 – when the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger closed nearly three months later. Verizon then became the majority owner (55%) of Verizon Wireless.
Verizon shares were made a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
on April 8, 2004. Verizon currently has 140.3 million land lines in service. With the MCI merger, it has more than 250,000 employees. Verizon serves customers throughout much of the United States.
, formerly WorldCom, after fellow "Baby Bell" SBC Communications agreed to acquire former parent AT&T Corporation just a few weeks earlier. (That combined company took the AT&T
name.)
Media coverage has focused on several ways in which that acquisition, once completed, would benefit Verizon, including economies of scale derived from a potential productivity boost to be achieved via the elimination of thousands of jobs at the combined company, and access to the large base of business customers currently served by MCI. The real benefit to Verizon was the acquisition of long-haul lines. The bulk of Verizon's business is concentrated in the eastern United States. This not only renders the company, effectively, a regional phone company, but also forced it to pay usage fees to long-haul carriers, such as the former MCI and AT&T, to complete calls for its customers whenever those calls go outside the Verizon "footprint". That need is obviated by the MCI acquisition and was key in the long term market position strategy. By January 6, 2006, MCI was incorporated into Verizon with the name Verizon Business
.
Verizon, with MCI, was the largest telecommunications company in the United States based on sales of $75.11 billion, profits of $7.4 billion and assets of $168.13 billion. After its acquisition of BellSouth
, AT&T
became the largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of assets and profits.
rather than be included in the Verizon merger.
In 2002, Verizon sold GTE's former telephone operations in 3 states: Missouri
and Alabama
operations were sold to CenturyTel, which merged with Embarq
in 2009 to become CenturyLink
, and Kentucky
operations were sold to Alltel
, which later spun off its landline operations as Windstream Communications
. In 2005, Verizon sold off GTE's former telephone operations in Hawaii to The Carlyle Group, This operation is now known as Hawaiian Telcom
.
On April 3, 2006 Verizon agreed to sell its stakes in Verizon Dominicana (operating in the Dominican Republic
), CANTV
of Venezuela, and Puerto Rico Telephone Company
, Inc. (PRT) in Puerto Rico to Telmex
and América Móvil
for $3.7 billion.
On January 16, 2007, Verizon New England operations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont were spun off, and merged with FairPoint Communications
, a deal which was finalized on April 1, 2008.
On May 13, 2009, Verizon announced it was selling all of Verizon's wireline assets in Arizona
, Idaho
, Illinois
, Indiana
, Michigan
, Nevada
, North Carolina
, Ohio
, Oregon
, South Carolina
, Washington, West Virginia
and Wisconsin
as well as some assets in California to Frontier Communications. On July 1, 2010, the transfer of these assets to Frontier took place.
to wireless communications
has been a major change driver for all vendors in the telephony space, including Verizon. , the profitability of the company's "wireline" business had slipped substantially below that of its mobile division and continued to degrade, a situation reflected in and used to directly support downward revisions to "wireline" worker compensation, potentially impacting on the order of 45,000 workers in the United States.
As a result of the various mergers and spin-offs, as of 2011, Verizon provides local landline services in 11 states and the District of Columbia through the following operating companies:
On May 11, 2006, controversy arose when USA Today
revealed that Verizon, along with AT&T
Inc. and BellSouth
, had turned over the call records of millions of U.S. citizens to the National Security Agency
. Verizon flatly denied turning over records to the government, but did not comment on whether MCI
, which it had acquired in January, had done so. On October 12, 2007, the company admitted in a letter to the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
that it had turned over customer information to the FBI and other federal agencies of the U.S. government approximately 94,000 times from January 2005 to September 2007, providing such information 720 times without being presented with a court order or warrant.
In September 2007, Verizon Wireless initially refused to make their mobile phone
network available to NARAL Pro-Choice America
for a program which allows people to sign up for pro-choice
text messages, on the grounds that they had the right to block "controversial or unsavory" messages. They subsequently reversed the decision:
started receiving reports from Verizon Wireless customers that they were having difficulties accessing the site's image boards. 4chan administrators found that only traffic on port 80 to the boards.4chan.org domain was affected, leading them to believe that the block was intentional. On February 7, 2010, Verizon Wireless confirmed that 4chan.org was "explicitly blocked".
In August 2010, the chairmen of Verizon and Google agreed that Network Neutrality
should be defined and limited.
In December 2010 Verizon continued moderating its network by removing access to some IRC servers related to Wikileaks "Operation Payback".
to protest the benefit cuts after Verizon announced its profits had doubled from the previous quarter.
option for its paying broadband customers by default. When customers accidentally type and enter a non-existent Web address they are redirected to the Verizon search screen. Verizon calls this option "Domain Assistance" and gives customers instructions on how to disable it.
) service as well as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and optical fiber line services. In addition, Verizon offers long distance services. Verizon also offers a product that is a joint venture with Microsoft called "Verizon Web Calling", a type of VoIP service used within Windows Live Messenger
. See also Iobi
.
service for residences and businesses.
(VoIP) service offered by Deltathree
and resold by Verizon that offers phone service over a broadband Internet connection. A DSL, cable
, or Verizon FiOS
Internet connection, a regular telephone
, a router, and a telephone adaptor are required for service. On March 31, 2009, Verizon terminated VoiceWing service for all existing subscribers.
Verizon Wireless
is, as of September 2011, the largest wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers. It is a joint venture of Verizon Communications which owns 55 percent of the venture, and British-based Vodafone plc which owns 45 percent.
Video service in Keller, Texas
on September 22, 2005. FiOS TV uses an optical fiber network to deliver more than 500 total channels, more than 180 digital music channels, more than 95 high-definition channels, and 10,000 video-on-demand titles. Verizon also partners with DirecTV
service as well to offer pay-TV services.
Internet service in many areas where it offers phone service. DSL is offered in various speeds ranging from 768 kbit/s to 15 Mbit/s download, depending on what the local infrastructure can support.
Verizon began offering FTTP (Fiber to the Premises, or Fiber to the Home) to some subscribers in 2006. Verizon markets this service under the name "FiOS
". It supports speeds up to 150/35 Mbit/s.
business of Verizon is known as SuperPages, and is a Texas-based sales, publishing and related services with 1,200 directory titles and a circulation of about 121 million copies in 41 states. The web site receives approximately 17 million visitors a month. It had an operating revenue of $3.6 billion in 2004 and employs 7,300 nationwide. In a move to leverage against higher traffic sites, Superpages linked up with Google to provide search advertising services to its millions of listed businesses. SuperPages will offer its advertisers the ability to bid for Google search terms.
With an estimated $17 billion in assets, Verizon has spun off the business unit to finance its expansion in wireless and high-speed Internet services. Verizon is not the first Baby Bell to rid itself of its directory publishing operations; Qwest
sold off its QwestDex directory services to become Dex Media
, and Illinois Bell
, now known as AT&T
, sold its directory operations to R. H. Donnelley in 1990 ("AT&T Yellow Pages
published by R. H. Donnelley").
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
and telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average , also called the Industrial Average, the Dow Jones, the Dow 30, or simply the Dow, is a stock market index, and one of several indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow...
. It started in 1983 as Bell Atlantic (based in Philadelphia) with a footprint covering New Jersey to Virginia and emerged as part of the 1984 AT&T breakup into seven "Baby Bells
Regional Bell Operating Company
The Regional Bell Operating Companies are the result of United States v. AT&T, the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company . On January 8, 1982, AT&T Corp. settled the suit and agreed to divest its local exchange service operating...
." In 1997, Bell Atlantic merged with another Regional Bell Operating Company, NYNEX
NYNEX
NYNEX Corporation was a telephone company that served five New England states as well as most of New York state, except the Rochester area, from 1984 through 1997....
, based 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...
with a footprint spanning from New York to Maine. The combined company kept the Bell Atlantic name. In 2000, Bell Atlantic acquired former independent phone company GTE
GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System....
, and adopted the name "Verizon" (which rhymes with horizon), a portmanteau
Portmanteau word
A portmanteau or portmanteau word is a blend of two words or morphemes into one new word. A portmanteau word typically combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings...
of veritas
Veritas
In Roman mythology, Veritas, meaning truth, was the goddess of truth, a daughter of Saturn and the mother of Virtue. It was believed that she hid in the bottom of a holy well because she was so elusive. Her image is shown as a young virgin dressed in white...
and horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
. The company's headquarters are located in the Verizon Building
Verizon Building
The Verizon Building is a 32-story Art Deco building in New York City, located in Lower Manhattan. It is named for Verizon Communications, for which it is the headquarters. The building is located at 140 West Street, adjacent to the World Trade Center site and 7 World Trade Center, and is bounded...
at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, 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...
.
AT&T breakup and NYNEX acquisition
Verizon was founded as Bell Atlantic Corporation. It was one of the seven "Baby Bells" that were formed as a result of the anti-trust judgment against the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. Bell Atlantic then inherited seven of the Bell Operating Companies from AT&T (later known as AT&T CorporationAT&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...
) following its breakup. Bell Atlantic's original roster of operating companies included:
- The Bell Telephone Company of 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...
- New Jersey Bell Telephone CompanyNew 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...
- The Diamond State Telephone CompanyDiamond 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...
- The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone CompanyC&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....
- The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of 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....
- The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of 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....
- The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West VirginiaFrontier West VirginiaFrontier West Virginia, Inc. is one of the original Bell Operating Companies and provides local telephone service in West Virginia.-History:...
Bell Atlantic originally operated in the U.S. states of 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...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, as well as Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 1994, Bell Atlantic became the first Regional Bell Operating Company
Regional Bell Operating Company
The Regional Bell Operating Companies are the result of United States v. AT&T, the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company . On January 8, 1982, AT&T Corp. settled the suit and agreed to divest its local exchange service operating...
to entirely drop the original names of its original operating companies. Operating company titles were simplified to "Bell Atlantic - state name".
In 1996, CEO and Chairman Raymond W. Smith
Raymond W. Smith
Raymond W. Smith is currently the Chairman of Rothschild Continuation Investments, Founding Partner of Arlington Capital Partners, a private equity firm, and Chairman of Verizon Ventures.-Career:...
orchestrated Bell Atlantic's merger with NYNEX CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg. When it merged, it moved its corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to 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...
where CEO's Smith and Seidenberg shared Co-CEO duties. NYNEX was consolidated into this name by 1997.
Prior to its merger with GTE, Bell Atlantic traded on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
(NYSE) under the "BEL" symbol.
GTE merger and Verizon WirelessVerizon WirelessCellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
formation
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, to Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
.
The Bell Atlantic–GTE merger, priced at more than $52 billion at the time of the announcement, closed nearly two years later, following analysis and approvals by Bell Atlantic and GTE shareowners, 27 state regulatory commissions and the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), and clearance from the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and various international agencies.
The merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, to form Verizon Communications, became effective on June 30, 2000. Verizon began trading on the NYSE under its new "VZ" symbol on Monday, July 3, 2000.
Bell Atlantic's CEO Ivan Seidenberg
Ivan Seidenberg
Ivan Seidenberg was the Chairman and CEO of Verizon Communications. He is also the current Chairman of the Business Roundtable. Effective Aug. 1, Lowell McAdam, currently President and COO of Verizon Communications, will succeed Seidenberg as CEO...
and GTE's Charles Lee were co-CEO's from 2000 to 2002 when Seidenberg became sole CEO, a position he held until July 2011 when he was succeeded by Lowell McAdam
Lowell McAdam
-Early life:McAdam earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Cornell University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of San Diego. He also spent six years in the U.S...
.
Meanwhile, on September 21, 1999, Bell Atlantic and UK-based Vodafone AirTouch Plc (now Vodafone Group Plc) announced that they had agreed to create a new wireless business with a national footprint, a single brand and a common digital technology – composed of Bell Atlantic's and Vodafone's U.S. wireless assets (Bell Atlantic Mobile (which was previously called Bell Atlantic-NYNEX Mobile by 1997), AirTouch
AirTouch
AirTouch Communications was a U.S.-based wireless telephone service provider, created as a spin-off on Pacific Telesis on April 1, 1994. Its headquarters were in One California in the Financial District, San Francisco, California...
Cellular, PrimeCo
PrimeCo
PrimeCo Personal Communications, L.P. was a joint venture of Bell Atlantic and AirTouch Communications, and was the first wireless telecommunications provider to turn up CDMA service on the PCS band in late 1995. When the company was founded, it had its headquarters in Westlake, Texas...
Personal Communications, and AirTouch
AirTouch
AirTouch Communications was a U.S.-based wireless telephone service provider, created as a spin-off on Pacific Telesis on April 1, 1994. Its headquarters were in One California in the Financial District, San Francisco, California...
Paging).
This wireless joint venture received regulatory approval in six months, and began operations as Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
on April 4, 2000, kicking off the new "Verizon" brand name. GTE's wireless operations became part of Verizon Wireless – creating what was initially the nation's largest wireless company before Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless
AT&T Mobility LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T that provides wireless services to 100.7 million subscribers in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands...
acquired AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless Services
AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., founded in 1987 as McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc., and now legally known as New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., formerly part of AT&T Corp., is a wireless telephone carrier in the United States, based in Redmond, Washington, and later traded on the New York...
in 2004 – when the Bell Atlantic–GTE merger closed nearly three months later. Verizon then became the majority owner (55%) of Verizon Wireless.
Verizon shares were made a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average , also called the Industrial Average, the Dow Jones, the Dow 30, or simply the Dow, is a stock market index, and one of several indices created by Wall Street Journal editor and Dow Jones & Company co-founder Charles Dow...
on April 8, 2004. Verizon currently has 140.3 million land lines in service. With the MCI merger, it has more than 250,000 employees. Verizon serves customers throughout much of the United States.
MCI acquisition
On February 14, 2005, Verizon agreed to acquire MCI Inc.MCI Inc.
MCI, Inc. is an American telecommunications subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia...
, formerly WorldCom, after fellow "Baby Bell" SBC Communications agreed to acquire former parent AT&T Corporation just a few weeks earlier. (That combined company took the 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...
name.)
Media coverage has focused on several ways in which that acquisition, once completed, would benefit Verizon, including economies of scale derived from a potential productivity boost to be achieved via the elimination of thousands of jobs at the combined company, and access to the large base of business customers currently served by MCI. The real benefit to Verizon was the acquisition of long-haul lines. The bulk of Verizon's business is concentrated in the eastern United States. This not only renders the company, effectively, a regional phone company, but also forced it to pay usage fees to long-haul carriers, such as the former MCI and AT&T, to complete calls for its customers whenever those calls go outside the Verizon "footprint". That need is obviated by the MCI acquisition and was key in the long term market position strategy. By January 6, 2006, MCI was incorporated into Verizon with the name Verizon Business
Verizon Business
Verizon Business is one of three operating units of Verizon Communications It was created in 2006 when Verizon Communications closed on its merger with MCI, Inc..Verizon Business has over 30,000 employees with 321 offices in 75 countries...
.
Verizon, with MCI, was the largest telecommunications company in the United States based on sales of $75.11 billion, profits of $7.4 billion and assets of $168.13 billion. After its acquisition of BellSouth
BellSouth
BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
, 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...
became the largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of assets and profits.
Divestitures
Due to the rigorous climate and high costs, GTE Alaska was sold to Alaska Power and Telephone CompanyAlaska Power and Telephone Company
Alaska Power and Telephone Company is a communications and utilities firm operating in Alaska. It currently provides service above the Arctic Circle, in the Wrangell Mountains, and throughout southeastern Alaskan Islands. Its business units are named Power, Telephone, Hydro-Power, Wireless, and...
rather than be included in the Verizon merger.
In 2002, Verizon sold GTE's former telephone operations in 3 states: Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
operations were sold to CenturyTel, which merged with Embarq
Embarq
Embarq Corporation was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States , serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long distance, high-speed data and wireless services to residential and business customers...
in 2009 to become CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
, and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
operations were sold to Alltel
Alltel
Alltel Corporation is a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before an acquisition by Verizon Wireless, it served 34 states. After the merger, Alltel continues to serve six states, mostly in rural areas...
, which later spun off its landline operations as Windstream Communications
Windstream Communications
Windstream Corporation is a local telephone provider. With headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., Windstream is an S&P 500 communications and technology company with operations in 29 states and the District of Columbia and about $4 billion in annual revenues...
. In 2005, Verizon sold off GTE's former telephone operations in Hawaii to The Carlyle Group, This operation is now known as Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom is the incumbent local exchange carrier or dominant local telephone company, serving the state of Hawaii. It was formed in 2005 by The Carlyle Group, following its purchase of the Hawaii assets of Verizon Communications, which was known as Verizon Hawaii, Inc., and previously as...
.
On April 3, 2006 Verizon agreed to sell its stakes in Verizon Dominicana (operating in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
), CANTV
CANTV
CANTV is one of the first telephone service enterprises in Venezuela, founded in 1930. The company was re-nationalized in 2007.As of May 9, 2008, Cantv’s customer base numbered 10.1 million mobile subscribers, 5.2 million fixed telephony subscribers and 1,000,000 broadband subscribers.- Origins...
of Venezuela, and Puerto Rico Telephone Company
Puerto Rico Telephone Company
Claro is the largest Puerto Rican telecommunications services company. It is headquartered in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and has operated for almost a century offering voice, data, long distance, broadband, directory publishing and wireless services for the island residents and businesses. It was...
, Inc. (PRT) in Puerto Rico to Telmex
Telmex
Telmex is a telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunication products and services in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and other countries in Latin America. In addition to traditional fixed-line telephone service, Telmex also offers Internet access, data,...
and América Móvil
América Móvil
América Móvil is a Mexican telecommunication company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the fourth largest mobile network operator in terms of equity subscribers, one of the largest corporations in Latin America, and the world. America Movil is a Fortune 500 company...
for $3.7 billion.
On January 16, 2007, Verizon New England operations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont were spun off, and merged with FairPoint Communications
FairPoint Communications
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operates communication services in 32 markets in 18 states, mostly in rural areas....
, a deal which was finalized on April 1, 2008.
On May 13, 2009, Verizon announced it was selling all of Verizon's wireline assets in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Washington, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
as well as some assets in California to Frontier Communications. On July 1, 2010, the transfer of these assets to Frontier took place.
Impact of changes in telephony
The transition from land wire-based telephonyTelephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
to wireless communications
Mobile telephony
Mobile telephony is the provision of telephone services to phones which may move around freely rather than stay fixed in one location. Mobile phones connect to a terrestrial cellular network of base stations , whereas satellite phones connect to orbiting satellites...
has been a major change driver for all vendors in the telephony space, including Verizon. , the profitability of the company's "wireline" business had slipped substantially below that of its mobile division and continued to degrade, a situation reflected in and used to directly support downward revisions to "wireline" worker compensation, potentially impacting on the order of 45,000 workers in the United States.
Operating companies
- Verizon California, Inc. - Operations inherited from GTE
- Verizon Delaware LLC
- Verizon Florida LLC - Operations inherited from GTE
- Verizon Maryland, Inc.
- Verizon New England, Inc. – Operations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
- Verizon New Jersey, Inc.New 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...
- Verizon New York, Inc.New 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:...
– Also serves a portion of southwestern Connecticut - Verizon North LLCVerizon NorthVerizon North LLC is a Verizon operating company providing local telephone service to former GTE customers in Pennsylvania.-History:In 2010, when the original Verizon North was sold to Frontier Communications, whose service region included Pennsylvania...
– Operations in Pennsylvania inherited from GTE - Verizon Pennsylvania, Inc.Bell 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...
- Verizon South, Inc.Verizon SouthVerizon South, Inc. is a Verizon operating company providing local telephone services to portions of Virginia and North Carolina in the United States.-History:...
– Operations in Virginia inherited from GTE - Verizon Virginia, Inc.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....
- Verizon Washington, D.C., Inc.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....
- GTE Southwest, Inc.GTE SouthwestGTE Southwest Incorporated is a Verizon operating company serving a former GTE region. GTE Southwest, at its peak, originally served Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.Its original name upon founding was State Telephone Company of Texas...
– Operations in Texas inherited from GTE
Political
On December 22, 2004, mail servers at Verizon.net were configured not to accept connections from Europe, by default, in an attempt to reduce spam email. Individual domains would only be unblocked upon request.On May 11, 2006, controversy arose when USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
revealed that Verizon, along with 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...
Inc. and BellSouth
BellSouth
BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
, had turned over the call records of millions of U.S. citizens to the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
. Verizon flatly denied turning over records to the government, but did not comment on whether MCI
MCI Inc.
MCI, Inc. is an American telecommunications subsidiary of Verizon Communications that is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia...
, which it had acquired in January, had done so. On October 12, 2007, the company admitted in a letter to the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
that it had turned over customer information to the FBI and other federal agencies of the U.S. government approximately 94,000 times from January 2005 to September 2007, providing such information 720 times without being presented with a court order or warrant.
In September 2007, Verizon Wireless initially refused to make their mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
network available to NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
for a program which allows people to sign up for pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
text messages, on the grounds that they had the right to block "controversial or unsavory" messages. They subsequently reversed the decision:
"It was an incorrect interpretation of a dusty internal policy, that ... was designed to ward against communications such as anonymous hate messaging and adult materials sent to children. ... [Verizon has] great respect for this free flow of ideas."
Internet
On February 4, 2010, 4chan4chan
4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
started receiving reports from Verizon Wireless customers that they were having difficulties accessing the site's image boards. 4chan administrators found that only traffic on port 80 to the boards.4chan.org domain was affected, leading them to believe that the block was intentional. On February 7, 2010, Verizon Wireless confirmed that 4chan.org was "explicitly blocked".
In August 2010, the chairmen of Verizon and Google agreed that Network Neutrality
Network neutrality in the United States
Network neutrality in the United States is a hotly debated issue subject to regulatory and judicial contention among network users and access providers...
should be defined and limited.
In December 2010 Verizon continued moderating its network by removing access to some IRC servers related to Wikileaks "Operation Payback".
2011 union worker strikes
In August 2011, 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike for three weeks over management efforts to reduce their benefits. Management was asking union workers to accept a freeze in pension contributions concurrent with a switch to a 401K plan used by other non-union Verizon workers. Other changes disputed by the Union included makring contributions to health insurance premiums and limits to fully paid sick leave. In October 2011 the workers' union, the Communication Workers of America, joined the Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
to protest the benefit cuts after Verizon announced its profits had doubled from the previous quarter.
FCC Ruling Appeal
At the end of September 2011, Verizon Communication appealed the FCC’s ruling regarding net neutrality.DNS Redirection
Verizon turns on DNS redirectionISP redirect page
An ISP redirect page is a page used by major ISPs including: Cox Communications, Embarq, Verizon, Rogers, Earthlink, and various others.If a user types in an incorrect url , the ISP's DNS server will catch this, and offer a suggestion on what the user might have meant.-How this works:Domain Name...
option for its paying broadband customers by default. When customers accidentally type and enter a non-existent Web address they are redirected to the Verizon search screen. Verizon calls this option "Domain Assistance" and gives customers instructions on how to disable it.
Voice
Verizon provides several different types of land line telephone services - standard POTS (Plain Old Telephone ServicePlain old telephone service
Plain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
) service as well as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and optical fiber line services. In addition, Verizon offers long distance services. Verizon also offers a product that is a joint venture with Microsoft called "Verizon Web Calling", a type of VoIP service used within Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
. See also Iobi
Iobi
iobi, , is a way of providing and managing telephone services over the Internet or PSTN-based telephone. Among capabilities, a registered customer could use a connected personal computer to dial a phone number and then speak to the person, they can check their voicemail messages over computer, or...
.
Voicemail
Verizon provides Verizon Voice Messaging — voicemailVoicemail
Voicemail is a computer based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to individuals, organizations, products and services, using an ordinary telephone...
service for residences and businesses.
Verizon VoiceWing
Verizon VoiceWing is a Voice over IPVoice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
(VoIP) service offered by Deltathree
Deltathree
Deltathree Inc. is an American company engaged in the business of voice over IP telephony services.Users can either use the free softdialer product and make calls through their PC, or sign up for the broadband phone service and receive an Analog Telephony Adapter or the linksys PAP2 device...
and resold by Verizon that offers phone service over a broadband Internet connection. A DSL, cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
, or Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
Internet connection, a regular 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...
, a router, and a telephone adaptor are required for service. On March 31, 2009, Verizon terminated VoiceWing service for all existing subscribers.
Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
is, as of September 2011, the largest wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers. It is a joint venture of Verizon Communications which owns 55 percent of the venture, and British-based Vodafone plc which owns 45 percent.
Television
Verizon launched its FiOSFíos
Fíos is one of 17 parishes in Parres, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain....
Video service in Keller, Texas
Keller, Texas
Keller is a city located in Tarrant County, Texas, in the United States. In 2011, it was ranked 93rd in Money Magazine's list of best cities to live in the United States. It is a northern suburb of the city of Fort Worth and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex...
on September 22, 2005. FiOS TV uses an optical fiber network to deliver more than 500 total channels, more than 180 digital music channels, more than 95 high-definition channels, and 10,000 video-on-demand titles. Verizon also partners with DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
service as well to offer pay-TV services.
Data
Verizon provides High Speed Internet DSLDigital Subscriber Line
Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
Internet service in many areas where it offers phone service. DSL is offered in various speeds ranging from 768 kbit/s to 15 Mbit/s download, depending on what the local infrastructure can support.
Verizon began offering FTTP (Fiber to the Premises, or Fiber to the Home) to some subscribers in 2006. Verizon markets this service under the name "FiOS
Fíos
Fíos is one of 17 parishes in Parres, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain....
". It supports speeds up to 150/35 Mbit/s.
Directory operations
The Yellow PagesYellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
business of Verizon is known as SuperPages, and is a Texas-based sales, publishing and related services with 1,200 directory titles and a circulation of about 121 million copies in 41 states. The web site receives approximately 17 million visitors a month. It had an operating revenue of $3.6 billion in 2004 and employs 7,300 nationwide. In a move to leverage against higher traffic sites, Superpages linked up with Google to provide search advertising services to its millions of listed businesses. SuperPages will offer its advertisers the ability to bid for Google search terms.
With an estimated $17 billion in assets, Verizon has spun off the business unit to finance its expansion in wireless and high-speed Internet services. Verizon is not the first Baby Bell to rid itself of its directory publishing operations; Qwest
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
sold off its QwestDex directory services to become Dex Media
Dex Media
Dex Media, Inc. was a print and interactive marketing company. It was acquired by R.H. Donnelley, which became Dex One Corporation in February 2010...
, and Illinois Bell
Illinois Bell
Illinois 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...
, now known as 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...
, sold its directory operations to R. H. Donnelley in 1990 ("AT&T Yellow Pages
AT&T Yellow Pages
AT&T Advertising Solutions is the collective d/b/a name of the advertising operations of AT&T Inc. Its best know products consist of directory advertising and yellow pages on line . They also sell a variety of other advertising products which include direct mail, and advertising on mobile devices...
published by R. H. Donnelley").
Sponsorships and naming rights
- The Verizon CenterVerizon CenterVerizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies...
in Washington, DC - The Verizon corner at the New Meadowlands StadiumNew Meadowlands StadiumMetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...
in East Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan.... - Verizon Championship Racing, a sponsorship partnership with Team Penske in the IRL's IndyCar SeriesIndyCar SeriesThe IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
and NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Nationwide Series - Verizon HeritageVerizon HeritageThe RBC Heritage, known for much of its history as the Heritage Classic, is a PGA Tour FedEx Cup event, first played in 1969. The venue has been the Harbour Town Golf Links at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina...
(2006–2010) PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
event in Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaHilton Head Island, South CarolinaHilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton... - Verizon IMAX 3D theater inside Jordan's FurnitureJordan's FurnitureJordan's Furniture is a furniture retailer in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, with locations in Reading, Avon, and Natick, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire.-History:...
stores in NatickNatick, MassachusettsNatick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
and Reading, MassachusettsReading, MassachusettsReading is an affluent town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston. The population was 24,747 at the 2010 census.-Settlement and Independence:...
(formerly called Motion Odyssey Movie, M.O.M.) - The Verizon Sports ComplexLake Placid bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton trackThe Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bobsled Run. is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Lake Placid, New York, United States. This venue was used for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and for the only winter Goodwill Games in 2000...
in Lake Placid, New YorkLake Placid, New YorkLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
where the bobsled, lugeLugeA Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and skeletonSkeleton (sport)Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
track is located - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre/Verizon Wireless Music Center in various cities across the U.S., including: AtlantaVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore ParkThe Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park is an amphitheatre located in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. The amphitheatre is meant to hold a variety of entertainment...
; Irvine, CaliforniaVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Irvine)Not to be confused with amphitheatres in Georgia, Missouri, or Virginia.Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Irvine is a 16,085-capacity amphitheater, located in Irvine, California...
; Noblesville, IndianaVerizon Wireless Music Center (Indiana)The Klipsch Music Center is an outdoor amphitheater, owned by Live Nation, located in Noblesville, Indiana. The center is the largest outdoor music venue in the Indianapolis metropolitan area of central Indiana, with 6,000 seats under a pavilion and 18,000 general admission lawn seats...
; St. Louis; CharlotteVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre CharlotteThe Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte is an outdoor amphitheater in Charlotte, North Carolina that specializes in hosting large concerts. The facility originally opened as the Blockbuster Pavilion in 1991, and largely replaced the Paladium Amphitheater at Carowinds as the premier outdoor...
; Pelham, AlabamaVerizon Wireless Music Center - BirminghamVerizon Wireless Music Center – Birmingham is an outdoor amphitheater, owned by Live Nation, located in Pelham, Alabama, a few miles south of Birmingham...
; and Virginia Beach - The Verizon Wireless ArenaVerizon Wireless ArenaThe Verizon Wireless Arena is an indoor events arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and seats 9,852 for ice hockey and just under 10,000 for basketball and some concerts.Verizon Wireless paid for the arena's naming rights...
in Manchester, New HampshireManchester, New HampshireManchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which... - The Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, ArkansasNorth Little Rock, Arkansasthe city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
- The Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato, MinnesotaMankato, MinnesotaMankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
- The Verizon Tower in Prudential Center Newark, NJ
- The Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie Dallas,TX
- The McLaren F1 TeamMcLarenMcLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
starting at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix2011 Canadian Grand PrixThe 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2011, was the seventh round of the 2011 Formula One season and was held on 12 June 2011 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...
Corporate governance
Current members of the board of directors are: Richard L. Carrión, M. Frances Keeth, Robert W. Lane, Lowell C. McAdam, Sandra O. Moose, Joseph Neubauer, Donald T. Nicolaisen, Thomas H. O'Brien, Clarence Otis, Jr., Hugh B. Price, Ivan G. Seidenberg, Rodney E. Slater, John W. Snow and John R. Stafford.See also
- AirfoneAirfoneAirfone is a brand of air-ground radiotelephone service offered by Verizon. Airfone allows passengers to make telephone calls in-flight. It was originated by John D. Goeken in the 1970s. Western Union purchased a fifty percent share in Airfone in 1981 and sold to GTE in 1986 for $39 million cash...
— Air-ground radiotelephone serviceAir-ground radiotelephone serviceAir-ground radiotelephone service is a method of telephone communications used by aircraft pilots and passengers of commercial airline jets flying over the United States....
offered by Verizon - AirTouchAirTouchAirTouch Communications was a U.S.-based wireless telephone service provider, created as a spin-off on Pacific Telesis on April 1, 1994. Its headquarters were in One California in the Financial District, San Francisco, California...
- Idearc
- MCI CommunicationsMCI CommunicationsMCI Communications Corp. was an American telecommunications company that was instrumental in legal and regulatory changes that led to the breakup of the AT&T monopoly of American telephony and ushered in the competitive long-distance telephone industry. It was headquartered in Washington,...
- Playlinc
- Verizon BusinessVerizon BusinessVerizon Business is one of three operating units of Verizon Communications It was created in 2006 when Verizon Communications closed on its merger with MCI, Inc..Verizon Business has over 30,000 employees with 321 offices in 75 countries...
- Verizon SmartParkVerizon SmartParkVerizon SmartPark is an advanced telecommunications system using copper and fiber optic infrastructure to provide communications services typically required in business and industrial parks.Verizon SmartPark currently offers the following services:* ATM...
— Advanced Telecommunications Services - Verizon WirelessVerizon WirelessCellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....