Verizon

Verizon Communications was born on June 30, 2000, when Bell Atlantic and GTE merged in one of the largest corporate combinations in American history. Bell Atlantic itself had emerged from the breakup of the Bell System in 1984, one of seven regional Baby Bells. GTE, meanwhile, was the largest independent local telephone company in the country. The merger created a telecom giant with 260,000 employees and operations spanning local and long-distance voice, wireless, and data services.

From that starting point, Verizon grew into America's largest wireless carrier by subscriber count, serving nearly 102 million customers. The company's network has been a central selling point. Verizon has invested heavily in infrastructure, rolling out 4G LTE early and later pushing into 5G. On the wireline side, its Fios fiber-optic service delivers broadband, TV, and phone to millions of homes. Verizon also serves business clients through Verizon Business, offering networking, security, and cloud solutions. In 2021, it acquired TracFone, adding a prepaid customer base.

Verizon's corporate headquarters sit at 140 West Street in Lower Manhattan, a building that sustained damage during the September 11 attacks. The company has a major operations hub in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, the former AT&T headquarters. As of 2024, Verizon employed about 100,000 people and generated $134.79 billion in revenue. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under VZ and is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. [edit]