COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 51221

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (pt)

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

63companies1851–2003founding years58still active5no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedWestern Union Financial Services, Inc.
1851
1876
TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
FoundedMannesmann AG
1890
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedOlivetti S.p.A.
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAllegheny Energy, Inc.
1925
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedTelefonos de Mexico S.A. de C.V.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1956
TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedChrysalis Group plc
1968
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedBT Group plc
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedIXC Communications, Inc.
1985
FoundedSprint Corporation
1986
FoundedQwest Communications International, Inc.
1988
FoundedRoyal KPN N.V.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedIDT Corporation
1990
FoundedTelekomunikacja Polska SA
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedCesky Telecom, a.s.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedEarthLink, Inc.
1994
FoundedGetty Images, Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedBroadwing CorporationFoundedTiscali SpA
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

TDC A/S →
Active · Denmark
TDC A/S--formerly Tele Danmark, itself created from the former state-owned telephone monopoly--is Denmark's top…
Western Union Financial Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1851
Western Union Financial Services, Inc.
Vivendi Universal S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1853 · France
Formerly known as the Générale des Eaux Group, Vivendi Universal S.A.
AT&T Corporation →
Active · founded 1885
AT&T Corporation organizes its business into two segments, business services and consumer services.
Mannesmann AG →
Active · founded 1890 · Germany
Mannesmann AG is a leading German telecom provider.
Warwick Valley Telephone Company →
Active · founded 1902
Doing business as WVT Communications, Warwick Valley Telephone Company is an independent telecom company serving a…
Manitoba Telecom Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908 · Canada
Manitoba Telecom Services, Inc.
Olivetti S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1908 · Italy
Olivetti S.p.A.
The Williams Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1908
The Williams Companies, Inc., is the largest interstate natural gas supplier in the United States.
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.
Allegheny Energy, Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Allegheny Energy, Inc.
Rockefeller Group International Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Rockefeller Group International Inc., which does business as The Rockefeller Group, is no longer linked to the…
Dobson Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1936
Dobson Communications Corporation is the ninth largest provider of wireless services in the United States, serving 1.6…
Telefonos de Mexico S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1947 · Mexico
Telefonos de Mexico S.A.
Blackfoot Telecommunications Group →
Active · founded 1954
Blackfoot Telecommunications Group, a customer-owned cooperative, serves over 20,000 consumers in eight counties in…
PT Astra International Tbk →
Active · founded 1957 · Indonesia
PT Astra International Tbk is one of Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerates.
Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc.
Chrysalis Group plc →
Active · founded 1968 · United Kingdom
Chrysalis Group plc is a U.K.-based media and entertainment company that owns radio stations, produces television…
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…
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
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.
SCANA Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
SCANA Corporation is a diversified holding company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina.
Telcordia Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
What Telcordia did not anticipate was the meltdown of the entire telecommunications industry at the start of the new…
Cablevision Systems Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the largest cable systems operators in the United States, providing service…
IXC Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
IXC Communications, Inc., is among five "new-age carriers" (a group including Frontier Corporation, Level 3…
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.,…
Sprint Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Sprint Corporation is the private holding company for two publicly traded firms, Sprint FON and Sprint PCS.
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited →
Active · founded 1987 · New Zealand
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited is that country's dominant telecommunications company, providing fixed line…
Cable & Wireless HKT →
Active · founded 1988 · Hong Kong
Cable & Wireless HKT (HKT), formerly Hong Kong Telecommunications Ltd., provides a wide range of communications…
Centennial Communications Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1988
In the United States, Centennial Communications Corporation owns and operates cellular systems in two regional clusters…
Qwest Communications International, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1988
From its origins as a fiber-optic network-building subsidiary of Southern Pacific Transportation Co., Qwest…
Corbis Corporation →
Active · founded 1989
Corbis Corporation provides digital images to professional and nonprofessional customers through a handful of Web…
Deutsche Telekom AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
Deutsche Telekom AG is the third largest telecommunications company in the world and number one in Europe.
Royal KPN N.V. →
Active · founded 1989 · The Netherlands
Royal KPN N.V.
Talk America Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Talk America Holdings, Inc., sells local and long-distance telephone services in 25 states, primarily in Georgia,…
Electric Lightwave, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Since it was established in 1990, Electric Lightwave, Inc.
IDT Corporation →
Active · founded 1990
IDT Corporation is a leading provider of long-distance telephone access, Internet access, and global Internet telephony…
Telecom Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1990 · Argentina
Telecom Argentina S.A.
Telefónica de Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1990 · Argentina
Telefónica de Argentina S.A.
McLeodUSA Incorporated →
Active · founded 1991
McLeodUSA Incorporated is a major provider of integrated telecommunications services to businesses and residential…
Telekomunikacja Polska SA →
Active · founded 1991 · Poland
Telekomunikacja Polska SA (TPSA) is Poland's leading telecommunications company.
COLT Telecom Group plc →
Active · founded 1992 · United Kingdom
Since it was founded in 1992 in the City of London, COLT Telecom Group plc has grown from a local fiber-optic network…
Telstra Corporation Limited →
Active · founded 1992 · Australia
Telstra Corporation Limited is a full-service telecommunications, information services, and network platform company…
Cesky Telecom, a.s. →
Active · founded 1993 · Czech Republic
The company Cesky Telecom, a.s.
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…
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…
EarthLink, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
EarthLink, Inc.
Portugal Telecom SGPS S.A. →
Active · founded 1994 · Portugal
Portugal Telecom SGPS S.A.
The Motley Fool, Inc. →
Active · founded 1994
The Motley Fool, Inc.
Getty Images, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Getty Images, Inc.
Telenor ASA →
Active · founded 1995 · Norway
Telenor ASA is Norway's leading telecommunications group.
Eschelon Telecom, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Eschelon Telecom, Inc., is a rapidly growing provider of integrated voice, data, and Internet services.
Prodigy Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1996
Prodigy Communications Corporation provides its subscribers with Internet access and related value-added services, such…
Broadwing Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Broadwing Corporation operates two divisions that serve different segments of the telecommunications industry.
RCN Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
RCN Corporation is a Princeton, New Jersey-based company known as an "overbuilder" in the cable television industry.
Swisscom AG →
Active · founded 1997 · Switzerland
Swisscom AG is the leading telecommunications company in Switzerland.
Tiscali SpA →
Active · founded 1997 · Italy
Italy's Tiscali SpA is leading the race for dominance of the European Internet access market.
Brasil Telecom Participaçoes S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1998 · Brazil
Brasil Telecom Participaçoes S.A.
Cogent Communications Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
For companies involved in transmitting high-speed Internet-based data, the so-called "last mile" is considered the most…
Abertis Infraestructuras, S.A. →
Active · founded 2003 · Spain
Abertis Infraestructuras, S.A.
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