Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless (often branded and referred to simply as Verizon) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon Communications. As of August 2015, Verizon Wireless provided wireless services to 137.5 million subscribers. It is the largest wireless telecommunications provider in the United States.
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, the company was originally a joint venture of American telecommunications firm Bell Atlantic, which would soon become Verizon Communications, and global British telecommunications company Vodafone.
As of September 2nd, 2015, Verizon changed their logo and slogan to the current ones, with the new slogan, "Better Matters."
History
In September 2000, American phone company Bell Atlantic and U.K.-based Vodafone Airtouch PLC announced they would create a new wireless phone service joint venture valued at $70 billion in September 1999. The joint venture was being created as Bell Atlantic underwent a merger with GTE Corporation. In April 2000, the companies announced that the Bell Atlantic-GTE merger would take the name Verizon and that the Bell Atlantic-Vodafone wireless unit would be called Verizon Wireless (legally Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless).Verizon Communications owned 55 percent of Verizon Wireless while Vodafone retained 45 percent ownership. Regulators with the Federal Communications Commission approved the Bell Atlantic-GTE merger June 16, 2000, creating the largest wireless company in the U.S. Verizon Wireless held this market position until Cingular acquired AT&T in 2004.