COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 4812

Radiotelephone Communications

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

51companies1853–1995founding years43still active8no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedVivendi Universal S.A.
1853
1876
TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
FoundedFrance Telecom Group
1889
FoundedFrontier Corp.
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedRogers Communications Inc.
1920
1925
EconomyThe Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting from Nashville.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedGray Communications Systems, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedBlackfoot Telecommunications Group
1954
1956
TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedTetra Tech, Inc.
1966
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
FoundedNew World Development Company Limited
1970
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedThe Titan Corporation
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedBell Atlantic CorporationFoundedU.S. Cellular Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGeotek Communications Inc.
1985
FoundedArch Wireless, Inc.
1986
FoundedCentennial Communications CorporationFoundedQwest Communications International, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedAO VimpelCom
1992
FoundedMobile TeleSystems OJSC
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedWestern Wireless Corporation
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Metromedia Company →
Active
Metromedia Company has emerged over the past decade as one of the largest private concerns in the United States, with…
Vivendi Universal S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1853 · France
Formerly known as the Générale des Eaux Group, Vivendi Universal S.A.
Ohio Bell Telephone Company →
Active · founded 1880
Ohio Bell Telephone Company, as a part of the Ameritech Corporation, provides local-exchange and limited long-distance…
France Telecom Group →
Defunct · founded 1889 · France
The fourth largest telecommunications corporation in the world, France Telecom Group is also one of the last remaining…
Mannesmann AG →
Active · founded 1890 · Germany
Mannesmann AG is a leading German telecom provider.
Alcatel S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1898 · France
France's second largest company in terms of market capitalization (after France Telecom), Alcatel S.A., formerly known…
Frontier Corp. →
Active · founded 1899
Confined to upstate New York for most of the century, Rochester Telephone became Frontier Corp.
Manitoba Telecom Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908 · Canada
Manitoba Telecom Services, Inc.
Olivetti S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1908 · Italy
Olivetti S.p.A.
Rogers Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1920 · Canada
The largest communications company in Canada, Rogers Communications Inc.
SBC Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
Originally one of the seven regional holding companies formed after the breakup of American Telephone & Telegraph…
Telefónica S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · Spain
Until the 1990s the government-controlled public company known since May 1988 as Telefónica de España, S.A.
Gray Communications Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Established in 1946 by James H.
Bouygues S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · France
Bouygues S.A.
Blackfoot Telecommunications Group →
Active · founded 1954
Blackfoot Telecommunications Group, a customer-owned cooperative, serves over 20,000 consumers in eight counties in…
Audiovox Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1960
Audiovox Corporation is an international leader in the marketing of cellular telephones, consumer electronics, auto…
Metrocall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
With more than six million subscribers, Metrocall, Inc.
Tetra Tech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Comcast Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
Comcast Corporation is a leading cable, telecommunications, and entertainment firm.
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., or TDS, is one of the most highly praised telecommunications enterprises in the…
New World Development Company Limited →
Active · founded 1970 · Hong Kong
Since its founding in 1970, New World Development Company Limited has been a leader in Hong Kong's bustling commercial…
Electricidade de Portugal, S.A. →
Active · founded 1976 · Portugal
Electricidade de Portugal, S.A.
Paging Network Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Paging Network Inc., known as PageNet, is the largest provider of wireless digital messaging services in the United…
The Titan Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Historically, The Titan Corporation was a defense department contractor involved in areas such as wireless…
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
Ameritech Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Ameritech Corporation is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States.
Bell Atlantic Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Bell Atlantic Corporation is growing ever-more prominent in U.S.
Grameen Bank →
Active · founded 1983 · Bangladesh
Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of 'micro-credit'--minuscule loans to the very poor.
U.S. Cellular Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
U.S.
AirTouch Communications →
Active · founded 1984
AirTouch Communications, one of the world's leading wireless telecommunications organizations, serves the needs of over…
BT Group plc →
Active · founded 1984 · United Kingdom
BT Group plc was formed in 2001 to serve as the holding company for British Telecommunications plc.
Geotek Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Geotek Communications Inc.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation →
Active · founded 1985 · Japan
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) is the largest telecommunications firm in the world.
Williams Communications Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Williams Communications Group, Inc., a subsidiary of The Williams Companies, Inc.,…
Arch Wireless, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
With a new name and a new corporate identity, Arch Wireless, Inc.
Sprint Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Sprint Corporation is the private holding company for two publicly traded firms, Sprint FON and Sprint PCS.
Nextel Communications, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1987
Founded originally to develop mobile telephone service on existing radio bands, Nextel Communications, Inc.
Centennial Communications Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1988
In the United States, Centennial Communications Corporation owns and operates cellular systems in two regional clusters…
Mobile Telecommunications Technologies Corp. →
Active · founded 1988
A pioneer in wireless communications, Mobile Telecommunications Technologies Corp.
Qwest Communications International, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1988
From its origins as a fiber-optic network-building subsidiary of Southern Pacific Transportation Co., Qwest…
Deutsche Telekom AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
Deutsche Telekom AG is the third largest telecommunications company in the world and number one in Europe.
Telecom Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1990 · Argentina
Telecom Argentina S.A.
AO VimpelCom →
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
AO VimpelCom keeps people connected in Russia, providing cellular phone services under the BeeLine brand name on either…
Telstra Corporation Limited →
Active · founded 1992 · Australia
Telstra Corporation Limited is a full-service telecommunications, information services, and network platform company…
Energis plc →
Active · founded 1993 · United Kingdom
Energis plc is a leading provider of telecommunications and e-commerce solutions to the business market in the United…
Mobile TeleSystems OJSC →
Active · founded 1993 · Russia
Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (MTS) provides cellular phone service to nearly 13 million subscribers in Russia and…
TV Azteca, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1993 · Mexico
TV Azteca, S.A.
China Telecom →
Active · founded 1994 · China
China Telecom dominates China's largest fixed-line telephone services with 95 percent of the services for 1.2 billion…
Western Wireless Corporation →
Active · founded 1994
Western Wireless Corporation is a leading operator of wireless cellular telephone systems, marketing its service under…
American Tower Corporation →
Active · founded 1995
Boston, Massachusetts-based American Tower Corporation (ATC) is the leading independent owner, operator, and developer…
U S West, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
The "new" U S West, Inc.
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