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tags: [computer-history]
created: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
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# Bell System

Denotes the family of companies run by the Bell Telephone Company during its 100
year outright monopoly on the telecommunications industry and infrastructure in
the US. Inclusive of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), AT&T
Long Lines (line network), the Western Electric Company (manufacturing
telephonic equipment), and Bell Labs (the R&D section). Each major city/ region
had a subsidiary, e.g. Michigan Bell, Northwestern Bell, the New York Telephone
Company etc.

Colloquially known as "Ma Bell" ("mother Bell").

The monopoly was broken up in 1983. Today, after the breakup the remaining (now
separate) companies are AT&T (phone network, mobile network), Verizon (mobile
network), and Lumen (cloud computing, networking services).
