GTE South

Verizon South, Inc.

Formerly called	The Bluefield Telephone Corporation Bluefield Telephone Company General Telephone Company of the Southeast General Telephone Company of the South GTE South Incorporated
Type	Private (Subsidiary of Verizon)
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	July 18, 1947
Area served	North Carolina, Virginia
Products	Local Telephone Service
Parent	GTE (1954-2000) Verizon (2000-present)
Website	verizon.com

Verizon South, Inc. is a Verizon operating company providing local telephone services to portions of Virginia and North Carolina in the United States.

Verizon South was originally established in 1947 as The Bluefield Telephone Corporation, providing telephone service to communities in Virginia including its namesake Bluefield. The company's first president was R.A. Phillips and was formally incorporated by Judson Large, Dean A. Esling, Richard L. Merrick, William W. Darrow, and Roland K. Smith, Jr.

The company changed its name to Bluefield Telephone Company on January 16, 1948.

Bluefield Telephone was acquired by GTE and in 1954 changed its name to General Telephone Company of the Southeast on June 25, 1954. The company began expansion under GTE ownership, absorbing a large group of telephone companies acquired in 1957. These companies included Durham Telephone Company of North Carolina, Georgia Continental Telephone Company, South Carolina Continental Telephone Company, Southeastern Carolina Telephone Company, Southern Continental Telephone Company, and Sumter Telephone Company. In 1970, the company absorbed more GTE companies, including General Telephone Company of Georgia, General Telephone Company of North Carolina, Mutual Telephone Company, Inc., and Pee Dee Telephone Company, Inc.

In 1986, the company changed its name to General Telephone Company of the South, later shortening in 1988 to GTE South Incorporated. At this point, GTE South served Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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