Editing Regional Bell Operating Company (section)

==Mergers==
<!-- [[Image:RBOCs_Dec_06.jpg|thumb|320px|This diagram shows how the various RBOC companies have changed due to mergers and acquisitions since the 1984 breakup.]] -->
Many of these companies have since merged; by the end of 2000, there were only three of the original Baby Bells left in the United States. After the 1984 breakup, part of AT&T Corp.'s [[Bell Labs]] was split off into [[Bellcore]], which would serve as an R&D and standards body for the seven Baby Bells. In 1997, Bellcore was acquired by [[Science Applications International Corporation]] where it became a wholly owned subsidiary and was renamed [[Telcordia]].<ref>Dr. J. Robert Beyster with [[Peter Economy]], The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company, John Wiley & Sons (2007) p.73</ref>

{{AT&T chart}}

=== AT&T Inc.  ===
[[Southwestern Bell Corporation]], which changed its name to [[SBC Communications]] in 1995, acquired [[Pacific Telesis]] in 1997, [[Southern New England Telephone|SNET]] in 1998, and [[Ameritech]] in 1999. In February 2005, SBC announced its plans to acquire former parent company [[AT&T Corp.]] for over $16 billion. SBC took on the AT&T name upon merger closure on November 18, 2005.  SBC began trading as [[AT&T Inc.]] on December 1, 2005, but began re-branding as early as November 21 of the same year. In 2006 AT&T Inc. purchased [[BellSouth]].<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2006/12/29/news/companies/att_bellsouth/?postversion=2006122919 FCC wrests concessions from AT&T-BellSouth before merger - Dec. 29, 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917111027/https://money.cnn.com/2006/12/29/news/companies/att_bellsouth/?postversion=2006122919 |date=2020-09-17 }}. Money.cnn.com (2006-12-29). Retrieved on 2013-09-04.</ref>

=== Verizon Communications ===
[[Image:VerizonBell.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Verizon Communications|Verizon]] [[payphone]] with the Bell logo]]
In 1997, [[NYNEX]] was acquired by [[Bell Atlantic]] (taking the Bell Atlantic name), which later, in 2000, acquired [[GTE]], the largest independent telephone company. Bell Atlantic later changed its name to [[Verizon]] that same year.

In 2005, following a protracted bidding war with rival RBOC Qwest, Verizon announced that it would acquire long-distance company [[MCI Inc.|MCI]].  The Verizon and MCI merger closed on January 6, 2006.

Bell Atlantic Mobile became<ref>[https://www.verizon.com/about/news/press-releases/bell-atlantic-mobile-purchase-wireless-interests-frontier-corporation]</ref> the largest wireless carrier in the United States through its merger with NYNEX Mobile, its acquisition of Frontier Cellular, its subsequent merger with GTE Mobile, and its joint venture with Vodafone (consolidating its AirTouch business into Bell Atlantic Mobile). The latter two transactions effectively formed Verizon Wireless (which remained a partnership between Verizon Communications and Vodafone until 2013).  The company has largely maintained its lead over the years through further acquisitions (notably, of Alltel Wireless and TracFone) and through organic growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2Q 2022 Earnings Conference Call Webcast |url=https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/quarterly-reports/2q-2022-earnings-conference-call-webcast |access-date=2023-01-22 |website=www.verizon.com |language=en}}</ref> surpassing T-Mobile and even AT&T in wireless. Over time much of its wireline area was spun off including northern New England to [[Consolidated Communications]] and other areas with landline businesses to both [[Frontier Communications|Frontier]] and [[FairPoint Communications]].

=== Lumen Technologies, Inc. ===
[[Lumen Technologies]], Inc. was originally Century Telephone (CenturyTel), and took the Centurylink name in 2009 when it acquired [[Embarq]], the former local operations of [[Sprint Nextel]], which also included the former operations of [[Centel]]. The company, as CenturyTel, had acquired some [[Wisconsin Bell]] lines from [[Ameritech]] in 1998.

[[Qwest]], a [[Denver]]-based [[fiber optics]] long-distance company, had taken over [[US West]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qwest.com |title=Qwest Homepage |access-date=2008-01-20 |publisher=Qwest Communications International Inc. |archive-date=2008-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122234835/http://www.qwest.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> CenturyLink announced in April 2010 its intent to buy Qwest for US$10.6 billion.<ref>{{cite news
| author1 = Dennis K. Bermain
| author2 = Joann S. Lublin
| author3 = Spencer E. Ante
| title = CenturyTel Buys Qwest in Land-Line Gamble
| newspaper = Wall Street Journal
| date = 2010-04-22
| url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703876404575200042559183812?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews
| access-date = 2010-04-22
| archive-date = 2020-08-07
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200807012006/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703876404575200042559183812?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews
| url-status = live
}}</ref> The transaction was completed in April 2011. In August 2011, the Qwest branding was retired and replaced by that of CenturyLink. CenturyLink rebranded to Lumen Technologies in September 2020.