History of AT&T Long Lines
Hacker News
February 16, 2026
The Long Lines division of AT&T was considered to be the “long distance” company that connected the regional Bell companies and independent telephone companies alike. This was the infrastructure that existed from the beginnings of the telephone to the “breakup” (divestiture) of AT&T in 1984. Following divestiture, Long Lines continued as the core of AT&T until it was purchased by Southwestern Bell in 2005 and became the “new” AT&T as we know it now.
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Originally published on Hacker News on 2/16/2026