South Central Bell

{{Short description|The name of the Bell Operating Company serving the South-Central US}}

{{Infobox company

| name = South Central Bell Telephone Company

| logo = SCBT.PNG

| logo_size = 250px

| caption =

| type = Subsidiary

| fate = Merged

| predecessor = Southern Bell

| successor = BellSouth Telecommunications

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1968}}

| founder =

| location_city = Birmingham, Alabama

| location_country = U.S.

| locations =

| area_served = Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee

| key_people =

| industry = Telecommunications

| products =

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| parent = AT&T (1968-1983)
BellSouth (1984–2006)
The "new" AT&T (2006 and present)

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}}

South Central Bell Telephone Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, was the name of the Bell System's operations in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.{{cite web|title=The Bell System Telephone Companies–Then and Now|publisher=The Bell System Memorials|url=https://bellsystem.com/bellopercomp.html|access-date=August 8, 2024}}. South Central Bell was created in July 1968 when the Bell telephone operations in those states were split off from Southern Bell. South Central Bell was headquartered in (what is now) the AT&T City Center building in Birmingham.

Image:South Central Bell 1967.png

In 1984, South Central Bell became a subsidiary of BellSouth Corporation as part of the breakup of the Bell System, effectively reuniting South Central Bell with Southern Bell. The two companies were officially reunited in 1992 when Southern Bell and South Central Bell became BellSouth Telecommunications. The two names were used, however, until 1995. The service network itself still exists and performs business and operates as the "new" AT&T.{{cite web|title=The Bell System Telephone Companies–Then and Now|publisher=The Bell System Memorials|url=https://bellsystem.com/bellopercomp.html|access-date=August 8, 2024}}.