AT&T

AT&T Inc. is a prominent telecommunications company operating within the United States. Its establishment dates back to 1877, with its roots tied to the original Bell Telephone Company founded by Alexander Graham Bell. AT&T, standing for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, was incorporated in 1885 as a subsidiary of Bell, to build and operate the first long-distance telephone network. The company's ownership has seen significant changes over the years. It was initially a monopoly, known as the Bell System, which provided telephone services across the majority of the United States and Canada. However, due to antitrust concerns, AT&T was required to divest its regional subsidiaries, leading to the breakup of the Bell System in 1984. The current AT&T Inc. is the result of several mergers and acquisitions, most notably the purchase of the original AT&T by one of its spin-offs, Southwestern Bell Corporation, in 2005. Today, AT&T is a publicly traded company with shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange.