Contel
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Communications Services |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | GTE |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Products | Internet access, Local wireline and wireless telecommunication services |
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[edit]
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (July 2023) |
Contel was founded in 1958 by Vern Chesbro in Ottawa, Kansas.[1] Chesbro would work at the company as executive vice-president until his retirement in 1983.[2]
In 1980, Contel purchased Network Analysis Corp, then the largest information technology consulting company in the world.[3] As a result of this purchase, future Internet Hall of Fame Pioneer Howard Frank served as president and CEO of Contel Information Systems, a subsidiary of Contel Corporation from 1969 until 1985.[4]
In 1986 ConTel of Indiana broke precedent and rescinded a 25¢ increase in their rates after a large protest. The vice president Merle Buck stated the protests were not about the decision, but for a decrease in interest rates and an abnormally good year in revenue for the company offset the costs the increase would have offset.[5]
Legacy[edit]
In 1996, a separate and unrelated entity known as Contel Inc. using a modified Contel logo of with the inclusion of an "Inc." at the end in small print, opened in St. Charles, Illinois. They are also a telecommunications company, but they specialize in in-house engineering and full service furnishing and installation of server rooms for corporations.[6]
Subsidiaries[edit]
Subsidiaries of Contel included:
- Contel of the South (Georgia)
- Contel of California (including lines in Arizona and Nevada)
- ConTel of Illinois
- ConTel of Indiana
- Contel of Kentucky
- Contel of Minnesota
- Contel of Missouri
- Contel of New Hampshire
- Contel of New York
- Contel of North Carolina
- Contel of the Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington)
- ConTel of Pennsylvania
- ConTel Quaker State
- Contel of South Carolina
- Contel of Vermont
- Contel of Virginia
- Contel of the West (Arizona and Utah)
References[edit]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2008) |
- ^ "Vernon "Vern" Chesbro". Legacy.com. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ Biles, Jan. "Vern Chesbro: A lifetime of politics". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ "UM's new business dean has vision of technology College: Howard Frank, who helped build an early version of the Internet, wants to build the first technology-oriented business school in the nation". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ "Howard Frank Obituary". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ Thornbro, Bill. "Contel says tax hike is wrong number". Google Books. Madison Courier. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "About us". contelinc.com. Retrieved 3 April 2023.