New Jersey Bell Telephone Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Predecessor | New Jersey Bell Telephone Company |
| Founded | 1904 |
| Headquarters | Newark, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | New Jersey |
| Products | Telecommunications services |
| Parent | Verizon Communications |
Verizon New Jersey, Inc., previously known as New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, functions as the Bell Operating Company responsible for telecommunications services throughout New Jersey. After the 1984 Bell System Divestiture, New Jersey Bell was integrated into Bell Atlantic. The company officially became part of Bell Atlantic's regional network on January 1, 1984.
Originally established in 1904 under the name Delaware and Atlantic Telegraph & Telephone Company, it operated in southern New Jersey, while northern regions were served by New York Telephone. In 1927, the company adopted the name New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and took over New Jersey operations previously managed by New York Telephone.
The New Jersey Bell brand remained in use throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. In 1994, Bell Atlantic consolidated its branding efforts and renamed the company Bell Atlantic - New Jersey, Inc.. Following the merger between Bell Atlantic and GTE in 2000, the organization assumed its current designation, Verizon New Jersey, Inc. The corporate headquarters are situated at the New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building, located at 540 Broad Street in Newark.
Innovations and firsts
After Bell Labs relocated to New Jersey, numerous technological breakthroughs were introduced locally:
- 1951: Became the first Bell Operating Company to implement Direct Distance Dialing for long-distance telephone calls in Englewood, NJ, thereby removing the need for operator assistance.
- 1965: Deployed the initial Bell System electronic switching system, specifically the Western Electric 1ESS, at its Succasunna central office, transitioning from electromechanical switching technology.
- 1987: Launched Caller ID services; notably, the first Caller ID unit was retailed at Sears in Jersey City under the AT&T brand.
- 2006: Took the lead in applying for a video franchise under New Jersey’s centralized video franchise legislation, becoming the state's first competitive "cable company" with statewide reach.
These milestones underscore Verizon New Jersey’s pivotal contribution to advancing telecommunications technology and broadening service options within the state.