英文介绍
BellSouthCorporation(NYSE:BLS)isaU.S.telecommunicationscompanybasedinAtlanta,Georgia.BellSouthwasoneofthesevenoriginalRegionalBellOperatingCompaniesaftertheU.S.DepartmentofJusticeforcedtheAmericanTelephoneandTelegraphCompanytopestitselfofitsregionaltelephonecompaniesonJanuary1,1984.Itisalsotheonly"BabyBell"orRegionalBellOperatingCompany(CincinnatiBellwasanindependentBellSystemfranchise)thatstillusestheBellsymbolinitslogo.
ThesubsidiariesSouthernBellandSouthCentralBellhavenowbeencombinedtooperateunderthecorporatenameBellSouth.ServicesprovidedintheBellSouthoperatingareaincludetelephoneandDSL/Dial-UpInternetservicesintheStatesofAlabama,Florida,Georgia,Kentucky,Louisiana,Mississippi,NorthCarolina,SouthCarolinaandTennessee.
BellSouthisrealigningitselfintwoimportantareas,wirelessandbroadband.A40percentjointventurewithAT&T(formerlySBC)inU.S.wirelesstelephoneserviceCingularprovidesalargepercentageofBellSouth'srevenue.Continuedincreaseofbroadbandpenetrationandapplicationsintheconsumermarketisakeystrategytothecompany.TheseactivitiesarebeingfundedinpartbythesaleofLatinAmericaoperations.
BellSouthiscurrentlytheonly"BabyBell"thatdoesnotoperatepaytelephones.By2003,BellSouth'spayphoneoperationwasdiscontinuedbecauseithadbecometoounprofitable,mostlikelyduetotheincreasedavailabilityofcellphones.CincinnatiBellhastakenBellSouth'splaceforpayphonesinnorthernBellSouthterritory;independentshavesetinfurthersouth.
BellSouthoperatesmanycompaniestoprovidetheservicesthatcustomersconsiderascomingfromBellSouth.TheBellSouthCorporationistheholdingcompany.TheoperatingcompaniesincludeBellSouthTelecommunications(localphonecompany),BellSouth.net(theISP),BellSouthLongDistance(thelongdistancecarrier),andCingularWireless(formerlyBellSouthMobility,jointlyownedwithAT&T).Thereareotheroperatingcompanies,likethepublishingandadvertisingcompanies,buttheonesmentionedabovearethemainones.
TheBellSouth-AT&TrelationshipgoesfurtherthanjustCingularWireless.BellSouth&AT&Talsoco-ownyellowpages.com(forerlyRealPages.comandSmartPages.com)