VERIZON

Verizon was created in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic Corp . and GTE Corp ., one of the largest mergers in American business history . The company is one of three remaining with roots in the former Baby Bell companies , created from the break-up of the Bell System in 1984 . The company launched the United States ’ first 3G network in January 2002 , giving customers the power of highspeed wireless broadband from mobile devices . In 2008 Verizon won a bid for US $ 9.4bn worth of wireless spectrum across the country , allowing it to move forward with its next-generation network plans with the launch of its 4G LTE network in December 2010 . It began to roll out 5G in November 2017 .

Verizon has had a focus on sustainability since its beginnings , planting more than 3 million trees between 2009 and 2020 . In 2019 , it pledged to plant 10 million trees by 2030 which it doubled the next year to 20 million .