Part 2/9:
The story of Bell Labs begins with the founding of AT&T by Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. By the early 20th century, AT&T had emerged as the dominant force in the U.S. communications sector. However, competition was on the rise, and the company needed a visionary to keep pace with emerging challenges. In 1907, Theodore Vail's leadership saw the inception of the ambitious concept of “universal service,” a telecommunication vision designed to connect everyone, everywhere, under a unified system.