American Telephone & Telegraph

In 1974 Justice Department filed an antitrust suit against American Telephone & Telegraph, (Ma Bell). A federal judge split the original company into 7 separate entities (Baby Bells), in 1984 (Bell Atlantic, US West, Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, BellSouth, NYNEX & Pacific Telesis).

Southwestern Bell, bacame SBC and acquired Pacific Telesis, the Southern New England Telephone Company and Ameritech. In a joint venture SBC and BellSouth formed Cingular Wireless which then acquired AT&T Wireless. In 2005, SBC acquired former parent company AT&T and rebranded itself as the new AT&T.

By the end of 2006 AT&T Purchased BellSouth and with the exception of Bell Atlantic (now MCI & Verizon) and US West (now Quest) has virtually recreated the original AT&T and has over 100 million customers.

This past Friday, AT&T revealed an unprecedented new plan (the product of all the mergers, acquaitions and name changes), dubbed Unity. It gives subscribers the nation's largest unlimited free calling community, including calls to and from wireless and landline numbers.

It took 22 years, the advent of cable companies offering phone service and VIOP for AT&T to return and with 100 million customers and Unity it's definitely back in a big way.