In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. That was the foundation of the company that would become AT&T - a brand that has become synonymous with the best, most reliable telephone service in the world.
In 1984, through an agreement between the former AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice, AT&T agreed to divest itself of its local telephone operations but retain its long distance, R&D and manufacturing arms. From this arrangement, SBC Communications Inc. (formerly known as Southwestern Bell Corp.) was born.
Twelve years later, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 triggered dramatic changes in the competitive landscape. SBC Communications Inc. established itself as a global communications provider by acquiring Pacific Telesis Group (1997), and Ameritech Corp. (1999). In 2005, SBC Communications Inc. acquired AT&T Corp., creating the new AT&T.
With the acquisition of BellSouth in 2006, and the consolidated ownership of Cingular Wireless, AT&T led our industry in one of its most significant transformations since the invention of the telephone more than 130 years ago.