What company was formed when Bell Atlantic merged with GTE in 2000?

Verizon Communications was formed when Bell Atlantic merged with GTE in 2000.

Bell Atlantic was one of the seven regional telephone companies created by the breakup of AT&T in 1984. GTE was a large independent telecommunications company with extensive local telephone operations outside the former Bell System. Their combination created a major national communications provider.

The merger was announced in 1998 and completed on June 30, 2000. The new company adopted the Verizon name, blending the Latin word veritas, meaning truth, with horizon. Verizon initially operated fixed-line telephone networks, wireless services, and internet businesses.

This deal is sometimes confused with Bell Atlantic’s earlier acquisition of NYNEX, completed in 1997. It is also distinct from Verizon Wireless, which was created through a separate partnership involving Bell Atlantic’s wireless business and Vodafone. Verizon Communications later acquired full control of Verizon Wireless in 2014.