 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Communications Services |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | GTE |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Products | Internet access, Local wireline and wireless telecommunication services |
ConTel Corporation (Continental Telephone) was the third largest independent phone company in the United States prior to the 1996 telecom deregulation. It was acquired by GTE in 1991.
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed .(July 2023) |
Contel was founded in 1958 by Vern Chesbro in Ottawa, Kansas. [1] Chesbro would work at the company as executive vice-president until his retirement in 1983. [2]
In 1980, Contel purchased Network Analysis Corp, then the largest information technology consulting company in the world. [3] As a result of this purchase, future Internet Hall of Fame Pioneer Howard Frank served as president and CEO of Contel Information Systems, a subsidiary of Contel Corporation from 1969 until 1985. [4]
In 1986 ConTel of Indiana broke precedent and rescinded a 25¢ increase in their rates after a large protest. The vice president Merle Buck stated the protests were not about the decision, but for a decrease in interest rates and an abnormally good year in revenue for the company offset the costs the increase would have offset. [5]
In 1996, a separate and unrelated entity known as Contel Inc. using a modified Contel logo of with the inclusion of an "Inc." at the end in small print, opened in St. Charles, Illinois. They are also a telecommunications company, but they specialize in in-house engineering and full service furnishing and installation of server rooms for corporations. [6]
Subsidiaries of Contel included:
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. The company operated from 1926, with roots tracing further back than that, until 2000, when it was acquired by Bell Atlantic; the combined company took the name Verizon.
Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, healthcare, video, smart home automation and IPTV television. The company is based in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area; it was originally based in Edmonton, Alberta, before its merger with BC Tel in 1999. Telus' wireless division, Telus Mobility, offers UMTS, and LTE-based mobile phone networks. Telus is the incumbent local exchange carrier in British Columbia and Alberta. Its primary competitors are Rogers Communications and Bell Canada. Telus is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association.
Raytheon BBN is an American research and development company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
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. It had been formerly the local telephone division (LTD) of Sprint Nextel until 2006, when it was spun off as an independent company. Embarq produced more than $6 billion in revenues annually, and had approximately 18,000 employees. It was based in Overland Park, Kansas.
Northwest Fiber, LLC, doing business as Ziply Fiber, is an American telecommunications company based in Kirkland, Washington. Ziply is a subsidiary of WaveDivision Capital, a private investment company, which is also Kirkland-based. The company started operations on May 1, 2020, when it completed its acquisition of Frontier Communications Northwest operations and assets for $1.4 billion; Frontier sold its Northwest operations after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Ziply Fiber's footprint covers the Pacific Northwest region, specifically the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Its key offerings include fiber internet and phone for residential customers, Business Fiber Internet, and Ziply Voice services for small businesses; and a variety of internet, networking and voice solutions for enterprise customers. The company will also continue to support DSL and grandfathered TV customers. Ziply has stated that it plans on investing $500 million to improve its network and service throughout its footprint. This includes the goal of bringing fiber to nearly 85% of its network, which mainly encompasses rural communities. As of June 2020, approximately 30% have access to fiber.
Verizon South, Inc. is a Verizon operating company providing local telephone services to portions of Virginia and North Carolina in the United States.
Frontier North, Inc. is a local telephone operating company owned by Frontier Communications.
Frontier California, Inc. is a Frontier Communications-owned operating company providing telephone service in former Verizon regions. This included Southern California cities such as Long Beach, Seal Beach, Lakewood, Norwalk and Santa Monica.
Frontier Midstates, Inc. is a telephone operating company of Frontier Communications serving Indiana and Michigan. It was originally owned by Contel, and later purchased by GTE, Verizon, and then sold to Frontier.
Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. is an American telecommunications company. Known as Citizens Utilities Company until 2000, Citizens Communications Company until 2008, and Frontier Communications Corporation until 2020, as a communications provider with a fiber-optic network and cloud-based services, Frontier offers broadband internet, digital television, and computer technical support to residential and business customers in 25 states. In some areas it also offers home phone services.
Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service.
Lumen Technologies, Inc. is an American telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company was a member of the Fortune 500 and the S&P 500 index from 1999 until 2023. Its communications services include local and long-distance voice, broadband, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), private line, Ethernet, hosting, data integration, video, network, public access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), information technology, and other ancillary services. Lumen also serves global enterprise customers across North America, Latin America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific.
Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC is the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States with operations in 44 states and Washington, D.C. Its portfolio is 45% wine and 55% spirits. It was the 10th largest private company in the United States in 2022.
Frontier Communications of the Southwest Inc. is a Frontier Communications operating company providing local telephone services to former Verizon California territory in Arizona, California, and Nevada. The company was created as a subsidiary of New Communications ILEC Holdings by Verizon in 2009 and sold on July 1, 2010 to Frontier.
The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, it became the Del E. Webb Corporation a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1960. The same year, the corporation unveiled Sun City, outside Phoenix, as the first community designed for senior citizens. Many more Sun Cities were built by the corporation in the following decades. Along with construction, the corporation was also involved in real estate and owned several properties mainly hotels and casinos, many of which were built and/or expanded by the company. The company was purchased in 2001 by Pulte Homes. Pulte Homes since merged with Centex Corp. and is now PulteGroup. Del Webb continues as a brand of PulteGroup.
TDS Telecom is an American telecommunications company with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc, and is the seventh-largest local exchange carrier in the U.S. TDS Telecom offers telephone, broadband Internet and television services to customers in 30 states and more than 900 rural and suburban communities, though it also serves some urban metropolitan communities. It also sells businesses communications services, including VoIP phone service, dedicated broadband Internet and hosted-managed services. With headquarters in Madison, TDS Telecom operates TDS Broadband LLC, and BendBroadband, and TDS Metrocom, LLC. Combined, the company employs nearly 3,300 people. In 2019, TDS Telecom and parent company TDS Inc. celebrated 50 years in business.
Nelson Broms was an American business executive, investor, and philanthropist. He worked in financial services, health care, telecommunications, information management and energy. He was chairman, chief executive officer and president of The Equitable Life Holding Corporation. Broms is credited with creating and developing "the demutualization of The Equitable" and the life insurance industry. He turned 100 in April 2019.
Vernon "Vern" Chesbro was an American politician from Kansas who was an active member of the State's local Republican Party. Running for the State Senate and being elected as the state's party chairman from 1985 to 1987. He was the leader of the state's moderate wing and support bi-partisan work with the state Democrats.
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