| Formerly | Continental Telephone Company of the South Contel of the South, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1956; 70 years ago (1956) |
Area served | Indiana, Michigan |
Key people | Don Banowetz (president) |
| Products | Local Telephone Service |
| Parent | Contel (until 1993) GTE (1993-2000) Verizon (2000-2010, 2026–present) Frontier (2010–2026) |
Frontier Midstates, Inc. is a telephone operating company ofFrontier Communications servingIndiana andMichigan. It was originally owned byContel, and later purchased byGTE,Verizon, and then sold to Frontier.
The company was established in 1956 to provide telephone service inGeorgia.[1] As a subsidiary ofContel, it adopted the nameContinental Telephone Company of the South. It expanded as it absorbed the operations various companies inAlabama and Georgia, includingAlabama Telephone Company in 1975, Coosa Valley Telephone Company, and Tri-County Telephone Company, Incorporated in 1978.[2] The company adopted its abbreviated name,Contel of the South, Inc., in 1988.
Contel was acquired byGTE in 1991 and the operating company began doing business asGTE Systems of the South. It was not associated withGTE South, a separate operating company.
On October 31, 1993, Contel of the South andAlltel traded service regions. Contel of the South regions inGeorgia area were traded forAlltel'sIndiana andMichigan service regions.
In 2000, GTE was purchased byBell Atlantic, becomingVerizon. Contel of the South began doing business asVerizon Mid-States andVerizon North Systems.
In 2002,Verizon sold its operations inAlabama, including those from Contel of the South andGTE South toCenturyTel. Those operations becameCenturyTel of Alabama. This left the company, incorporated inGeorgia, with operations inIndiana andMichigan.
The company remained one of two formerGTE operating companies to have retained its original name since acquisition byVerizon (the other isGTE Southwest); it also remained the only operating company using the Contel name.
Contel of the South, along with several other Verizon wireline operating companies, were transferred to a new holding companyNew Communications ILEC Holdings, which was acquired byFrontier Communications on July 1, 2010.[3] Contel of the South, Inc., at that point, becameFrontier Midstates, Inc.[4]
On September 5, 2024 Verizon announced that it will acquire Frontier Communications for $20 billion. The acquisition, when it closes, will see Verizon taking control of Frontier's operations, including regaining Frontier Midstates.