The CenturyLink Operating Companies are
local exchange carriers owned by
CenturyLink
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...
, the third largest landline telephone company in the United States.
[List of telephone local operating companies at fcc.gov](_blank)
/ref>
CenturyLink operating companies consist of operations inherited from various predecessor companies, which is reflected in the differing names of the companies and partially overlapping service territories; all operating companies do business as CenturyLink. Predecessors include:
* CenturyTel - the former corporate name of CenturyLink.
* Embarq
Embarq Corporation (stylized as EMBARQ) was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States (below the Regional Bell Operating Company, Baby Bells), serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long-distance, high-spee ...
, the former landline operations of Sprint Nextel
Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before it merged with T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The co ...
, which were spun off in 2006; these include operations dating from Sprint's time as ''United Telecommunications'' and operations owned by Centel
Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service.
Early history
In 1900, Max McGraw took his savings from his newspa ...
, which it acquired in 1993.
* Qwest Communications International
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...
- which, through its acquisition of U S WEST
US West, Inc. (stylized as US WEST) was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs, also referred to as "Baby Bells"), created in 1983 under the Modification of Final Judgement (''United States v. Western Electric Co., Inc.'' 552 ...
, inherited operations of the former Bell System
The Bell System was a system of telecommunication companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), that dominated the telephone services industry in North America for over one hundr ...
in numerous western states.
List
CenturyTel companies
CenturyLink grew as Century Telephone and later CenturyTel through acquiring many small and mid-size telephone companies. These include:
* CenturyTel of Adamsville, Inc. d/b/a CenturyLink Adamsville (Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
)
*CenturyTel of Alabama
CenturyTel of Alabama, LLC is a telephone operating company owned by CenturyLink that provides local telephone service in Alabama.
The company was established in 2002 upon CenturyTel's purchase of lines from Verizon Communications. The lines in A ...
, LLC - formerly part of Contel of the South
ConTel Corporation (Continental Telephone) was the third largest independent phone company in the United States prior to the 1996 telecom deregulation. It was acquired by GTE in 1991.
History
In 1980, Contel purchased Network Analysis Corp, the ...
and Verizon South
Verizon South, Inc. is a Verizon operating company providing local telephone services to portions of Virginia and North Carolina in the United States.
History
Verizon South was originally established in 1947 as The Bluefield Telephone Corporation ...
* CenturyTel of Arkansas, Inc.
* CenturyTel of Central Arkansas, LLC - formerly GTE
GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. The company operated from 1926, with roots tracing furth ...
*CenturyTel of Chester
CenturyTel of Chester, Inc. is a telephone operating company owned by CenturyLink that provides local telephone service in Chester, Iowa and areas of Minnesota directly north.
The company was established in 1961 as the Chester Telephone Company. ...
, Inc. (Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
)
* CenturyTel of Claiborne, Inc. d/b/a CenturyLink Claiborne (Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
)
*CenturyTel of Colorado
CenturyTel of Colorado, Inc. is a telephone operating company owned by CenturyLink that provides local telephone service in Colorado, including Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Pagosa Springs. The company is separate from CenturyTel of Eagle and Qwest Co ...
, Inc. - formerly Universal Telephone
*CenturyTel of Eagle
CenturyTel of Eagle, Inc. is one of the CenturyLink operating companies in Colorado. The company was formed in 1928 as The Eagle Valley Telephone Company and originally served Eagle, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties in Colorado.
In 1980, the comp ...
, Inc. (Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
) - portions formerly part of U S WEST Communications
Qwest Corporation is a former Regional Bell Operating Company owned by Lumen Technologies. It was formerly named U S WEST Communications, Inc. from 1991 to 2000, and also formerly named Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1911 t ...
*CenturyTel of Missouri
Brightspeed of Missouri, LLC is a telephone operating company owned by Brightspeed that provides local telephone service in Missouri. The cities served by the company include Branson and Columbia.
History
Brightspeed of Missouri was established ...
, LLC - formerly part of GTE Midwest {{No footnotes, date=November 2019
GTE Midwest, Inc. was a GTE operating company formed in 1993 upon the split off of some GTE local telephone operations from GTE North. GTE Midwest served Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, and included the f ...
*CenturyTel of Mountain Home
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is a ...
, Inc. (Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
)
* CenturyTel of the Northwest, Inc. (Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
) - formerly Pacific Telecom, portions formerly part of U S WEST Communications
* CenturyTel of Northwest Arkansas, LLC - formerly part GTE Southwest
Frontier Southwest Incorporated is a Frontier Communications operating company in Texas. At its peak, Frontier Southwest served Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.
History
Its original name upon founding was State Telephone Company of Texa ...
*CenturyTel of Ooltewah-Collegedale
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...
, Inc. d/b/a CenturyLink Ooltewah (Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
)
*CenturyTel of Ohio
Brightspeed of Northcentral Ohio, Inc., is a telephone operating company owned by Brightspeed that provides local telephone service in Ohio, including Amherst, Lorain, and Vermillion.
The company was established in 1977 as the Lorain Telephon ...
, Inc. - formerly owned by Centel
Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service.
Early history
In 1900, Max McGraw took his savings from his newspa ...
*CenturyTel of Port Aransas
CenturyTel of Port Aransas, Inc. is a telephone operating company providing local telephone services in Texas owned by CenturyLink.
The company was established in 1955.
On August 3, 2021, Lumen announced its sale of its local telephone assets in ...
, Inc. (Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
)
* CenturyTel of Redfield, Inc. (Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
)
* CenturyTel of San Marcos, Inc. (Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
)
* CenturyTel of South Arkansas, Inc.
* CenturyTel of the Gem State, Inc. (Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
) - formerly owned by Pacific Telecom
*CenturyTel of the Midwest-Kendall
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is a ...
, LLC - portions formerly part of Wisconsin Bell
Wisconsin Bell, Inc. (known as Wisconsin Telephone Co. before 1984) is the name of the Bell Operating Company serving Wisconsin. It is owned by AT&T through AT&T Teleholdings, originally known as Ameritech.
Their headquarters is at 722 North Br ...
*CenturyTel of the Southwest, Inc.[List of CenturyLink subsidiaries](_blank)
/ref> - five rate centers in New MexicoRate center lookup by LEC at localcallingguide.com
/ref>
*Spectra Communications Group
Spectra Communications Group, LLC is a U.S. telephone operating company owned by CenturyLink that provides local telephone service in Missouri.
History
Spectra Communications Group was established in 1999 upon Spectra's purchase of 170 GTE Midwe ...
, LLC (Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
) - formerly part of GTE Midwest {{No footnotes, date=November 2019
GTE Midwest, Inc. was a GTE operating company formed in 1993 upon the split off of some GTE local telephone operations from GTE North. GTE Midwest served Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, and included the f ...
* Telephone USA of Wisconsin, LLC - 89% owned
Former Embarq companies
The following companies were formerly owned by Embarq
Embarq Corporation (stylized as EMBARQ) was the largest independent local exchange carrier in the United States (below the Regional Bell Operating Company, Baby Bells), serving customers in 18 states and providing local, long-distance, high-spee ...
, acquired in 2009, and formerly owned by Sprint Nextel
Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before it merged with T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The co ...
until 2006. Centel
Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service.
Early history
In 1900, Max McGraw took his savings from his newspa ...
companies are also included, which was purchased by Sprint in 1993.
* Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Company (North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
)
*Central Telephone
Central Telephone Company is a telephone operating company owned by Lumen Technologies that provides local telephone service in Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina. Its largest market is Las Vegas
History
The company was established in 1971 as ...
Company (Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
)
*Central Telephone Company of Virginia
Central Telephone Company of Virginia is a telephone company owned by CenturyLink that provides a local telephone service within the commonwealth of Virginia, USA.
History
The company was founded in 1971 under the ownership by Centel. The latter ...
, Inc.
*Central Telephone Company of Texas
Brightspeed of Texas, Inc. is a telephone operating company owned by Brightspeed that provides local telephone service in Texas. The company serves communities in Texas such as Killeen, Copperas Cove, and Cranfills Gap.
History
Brightspeed o ...
* Embarq Florida, Inc.
* Embarq Minnesota, Inc.
* Embarq Missouri, Inc.
* United Telephone Company of Eastern Kansas
* United Telephone Company of Kansas
*United Telephone Company of Ohio
*United Telephone Company of Indiana
*United Telephone Company of New Jersey
*United Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, covering South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York. Portions of west ...
and the area in and around Butler County, Pennsylvania
Butler County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Western Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 193,763. Its county seat is Butler. Butler County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Alleghe ...
*United Telephone Company of South Carolina
*United Telephone Company of South Central Kansas
*United Telephone - Southeast, Inc. (Virginia & Tennessee)
*United Telephone Company of the West - (Nebraska &Wyoming)
*United Telephone Company of Texas
*United Telephone of the Northwest - (Oregon & Washington)
Former Qwest companies
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...
, which was acquired in 2011, owned an original Bell Operating Company
The Bell System was a system of telecommunication companies, led by the Bell Telephone Company and later by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), that dominated the telephone services industry in North America for over one hundre ...
and a small independent provider. Qwest acquired U S WEST
US West, Inc. (stylized as US WEST) was one of seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs, also referred to as "Baby Bells"), created in 1983 under the Modification of Final Judgement (''United States v. Western Electric Co., Inc.'' 552 ...
, one of the Baby Bells
The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) are the result of '' United States v. AT&T'', the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust suit against the former American Telephone & Telegraph Company (later known as AT&T Corp.). On January 8, 19 ...
, in 2000.
*El Paso County Telephone
The El Paso County Telephone Company is a small telephone company based in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Qwest Corporation, a subsidiary of CenturyLink.
It was founded in 1915 as El Paso County Mutual Telephone Company. In 1975, the comp ...
Company (El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2020 Census recorded its population as 730,395. The Census Bureau's 2020 result indicates it is the most populous county in Colorado, surpassing the City and County of De ...
)
*Qwest Corporation
Qwest Corporation is a former Regional Bell Operating Company owned by Lumen Technologies. It was formerly named U S WEST Communications, Inc. from 1991 to 2000, and also formerly named Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company from 1911 t ...
(Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)
References
{{CenturyLink
Lumen Technologies