SBC is the New AT&T

One of the "Baby Bells" that was created after the break-up of the old AT&T in 1982 was Southwestern Bell. It changed its name to SBC Communications in 1995 and is again calling itself AT&T after purchasing the parent company in 2005.

Although it is unusual for the acquiring company to take the name of the purchased entity, the management team at SBC felt that the AT&T name was a time-honored and trusted brand. The merger between SBC and AT&T closed in November 2005 and all former SBC customers are now receiving bills that say AT&T, although they can still type in sbc.com and view their phone bills. This merger provided former SBC phone customers with a wider variety of services and options than before.