VERIZON CUSTOMER SERVICE

Verizon Communications Inc. is a multinational conglomerate in the telecommunications industry. It is incorporated in Delaware and headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Verizon is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is the world’s second-largest telecommunications company by revenue. The company was formed in 1984 as Bell Atlantic as a result of the breakup of the Bell System into seven companies, each a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) commonly referred to as “Baby Bells.” The company was originally headquartered in Philadelphia and operated in the states of New Jersey and Virginia. In 1997, Bell Atlantic merged with NYNEX to expand into New York and the New England states. The merged company moved its headquarters to NYNEX’s old headquarters in New York City.

In 2000, Bell Atlantic acquired GTE, which operated telecommunications companies across most of the rest of the country not already in Bell Atlantic’s footprint. Bell Atlantic changed its name to Verizon, a portmanteau of veritas (Latin for “truth”) and horizon. Two months before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave final approval on the formation of Verizon Communications, Bell Atlantic formed Verizon Wireless in a joint venture with the British telecommunications company Vodafone in April 2000.

The company established Verizon Wireless as its own business operated by Bell Atlantic, which owned 55% of the venture. Vodafone retained 45% of the company. The deal was valued at approximately $70 billion and created a mobile carrier with 23 million customers. Verizon Wireless merged Bell Atlantic’s wireless network, Vodafone’s AirTouch and PrimeCo holdings, and the wireless division of GTE. Verizon became the largest local telephone company in the United States, operating 63 million telephone lines in 40 states.

The company also inherited 25 million mobile phone customers. Additionally, Verizon offered internet services and long-distance calling in New York before expanding long-distance operations to other states. In 2002, Verizon launched a 3G service that doubled the internet speed of the time to 144 kb per second. In August 2002, Verizon began offering local, long-distance, and mobile calling, as well as internet service, in a bundle.