The New York Telephone Company (NYTel) was organized in 1896, taking over the New York City operations of the American Bell Telephone Company. The Telephone Company of New York was formed under franchise in 1876 to rent telephone instruments to users, who were expected to provide wires to connect them, for example from factory to office. Such connections already existed for private telegraphs, and the new invention promised to save the cost of hiring a private telegraph operator. Manufacturers of steel wire for the Brooklyn Bridge then under construction were especially prominent among the customers under this scheme, using their own product. Broadway festooned with wires, 1885 Western Union subsidiaries, including Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph, Gold and Stock Telegraph, and American Speaking Telephone, based their New York and San Francisco operations on the telephone exchange principle and thus were larger and more advanced than the local Bell operations. Under the November 1879 settlement of the Elisha Gray patent infringement lawsuit, Western Union handed over its telephone operations to National Bell Telephone, which then renamed itself American Bell Telephone. The merged local company was called the Metropolitan Telephone and Telegraph Company.[1] In 1896 the operations of Metropolitan Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Westchester Telephone Company (which served northern suburban areas, including parts of then-Westchester County which subsequently were incorporated into New York City as the Borough of The Bronx) were consolidated under the name of the New York Telephone Company.[2] New York and New Jersey Telephone Company building The New York and New Jersey Telephone Company, a Bell licencee serving Long Island and Staten Island, was broken up and its New York properties merged with the New York company as the City and Suburban Telephone Company in 1897.[3] American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) eventually acquired a controlling interest and restored the New York Telephone name. telephone service internet telephone service cheap telephone service business telephone service telephone services charter telephone service telephone service in my area frontier telephone service landline telephone service home telephone service providers telephone service providers home telephone service home telephone services telephone services in my area frontier telephone customer service cheapest telephone service long distance telephone service small business telephone service free telephone service telephone service provider telephone services providers inmate telephone service local telephone service providers inmate telephone service provider local telephone service residential telephone service home phone service phone service long distance telephone service providers phone companies phone plans internet phone service telephone service comparison clear telephone service cavalier telephone voip service voip phone service cheapest phone plans telephone internet service government telephone service home phone services telephone answering service low income telephone service long distance phone service cheap telephone service providers mci telephone service voip telephone service best phone service cheap home telephone service cheap landline phone service phone services inmate telephone services local phone service affordable phone service phone carriers free phone service global telephone service telephone translation services wireless phone service cheap home phone phone company free telephone service for low income phone services in my area telephone and internet service residential telephone service providers online telephone service telephone service companies cheapest home phone service internet phones ip phone service telephone and internet service providers phone providers cheapest phone service internet phone services broadband phone home phone providers local telephone services voip cheap landline telephone service telephone service las vegas voip service provider internet phone service reviews cheap local phone service telephone company home voip landline phone service home phone service providers phone service providers cheap phone service home phone companies cheap home phone service discount telephone service broadband phone service home telephone service for low income virtual telephone service telephone companies landline telephone service providers landline phone companies wireless telephone service plain old telephone service