Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is an American telecommunications company formed in 2000 by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. It provides mobile phone service, home broadband (including Fios fiber and 5G home internet), and networking and security services to consumers, businesses, and government agencies, and is one of the three largest U.S. wireless carriers alongside AT&T and T-Mobile.
Verizon Wireless began as a joint venture with Vodafone; Verizon bought out Vodafone's 45% stake in 2014 for about $130 billion. The company then pushed into digital media, acquiring 📝AOL in 2015 and 📝Yahoo's operating business in 2017, before selling a 90% stake in the combined Verizon Media unit to Apollo Global Management in 2021. Its current strategy centers on bundling wireless and home broadband to reduce churn: in January 2026 it closed its roughly $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, expanding its fiber footprint to more than 30 million homes and businesses. Former 📝PayPal CEO Dan Schulman succeeded Hans Vestberg as Verizon's CEO in October 2025.
Verizon has been my wireless carrier since at least 2017.