Founded by Cleyson L. Brown in 1899, the Brown Telephone Company quickly became a viable alternative to Bell, rapidly launching to local markets in Kansas and beyond.
Following the Depression years, the company reorganized as United Utilities, growing to become the second-largest non-Bell telephone company in America by the 1950s. In the 1960s, United Utilities introduced systemwide advertising campaigns and created its first sales organization to market services through subsidiaries.
In 1972 the company changed its name to United Telecommunications, and by 1976 this diversified corporation served more than 3.5 million telephone lines coast-to-coast and generated revenues exceeding $1 billion. By decade's end the company had installed its first fiber-optic cable and first digital switch, and in 1980 established UNINET as the world's third largest commercial packet data network.
By the mid-1980s the company announced its bold plan to enter the deregulated long distance market. Domestic long distance service officially launched in 1986 under the Sprint brand name, with the nation's first 100% digital, fiber-optic network as the centerpiece of the plan.
Over the next few years the company solidified its industry leadership and success through a series of high-profile technological advances, including the nation's first coast-to-coast fiber-optic transmission and the first transatlantic fiber-optic phone call. Sprint International then emerged in 1989 to promote the company's growing presence in the global marketplace.
By now possessing strong brand recognition in the long distance segment, United Telecommunications chose to adopt the nationally recognized identity of this unit by becoming Sprint Corporation in 1992.
By 1993, the company provided service to more than 6.1 million customer lines in 19 states. The company also took its first step toward becoming an all-service provider of long distance, local and wireless services by merging with Central Telephone Company of Illinois that same year. Significant marketing successes included a breakthrough flat-rate long distance calling plan in 1995, and also the popular prepaid calling card for domestic and international use.
In 1995, with its partners, Sprint acquired PCS wireless licenses in 29 major trading areas in the FCC's first auction. By 1998 Sprint acquired its partners' interests and had full management control of Sprint PCS, at this time creating two classes of stock - PCS Stock and FON Stock.
T1 Line Pricing
