Advanced American Telephones

Infobox_Company
company_name = VTech Innovation, L.P.
company_
company_type = Holding of VTech| company_slogan =
foundation = 1984
location =
key_people = Kent Wong Wah Shun, Vice-President and General Manager
num_employees =
industry = Customer Premises Equipment
products = AT&T branded telephones
parent = AT&T Technologies (1984-1996)
Lucent (1996-2000)
VTech (2000-present)
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
dba = Advanced American Telephones
fka = Lucent Technologies Consumer Products, L.P. (1996-2000)
homepage = [http://telephones.att.com telephones.att.com]

VTech Innovation, L.P., doing business as Advanced American Telephones, is a telephone manufacturing company.

History

American Bell Consumer Products was created on January 1, 1983 as a unit of American Bell, Inc., upon declaration by the Modification of Final Judgment that AT&T had to sell equipment to the public through an entirely separate subsidiary. ABCP sold terminal equipment traditionally available through the Bell System such as the Trimline. American Bell products could be found at Bell PhoneCenter Stores, as well as department stores such as Sears and Target. American Bell products were not marked with any Bell name, simply marked "Western Electric" and the Bell logo, as any products sold through American Bell were "not" "Bell System Property".

Upon the divestiture of the Bell Operating Companies from AT&T, American Bell was renamed AT&T Information Systems, and American Bell Consumer Products was renamed AT&T Consumer Products, and Bell PhoneCenters were renamed AT&T PhoneCenters. Bell and Western Electric markings were replaced with AT&T on telephone housings. AT&T Consumer Products became responsible for leased telephones and manufactured telephones on January 1, 1984. ATTCP was absorbed into AT&T Technologies in 1989. AT&T Consumer Products ceased operations of AT&T Phone Centers in 1995, deciding to simply focus on sales at department stores and leasing equipment. It, along with the rest of AT&T Technologies and Bell Labs, became a part of Lucent Technologies in 1996, following completion of its spinoff from AT&T.

Lucent Technologies Consumer Products, L.P. became the new name of AT&T Consumer Products in 1996. Its operations remained largely unchanged from its operations at AT&T. In 1997, LTCP was placed in the unsuccessful Philips Consumer Communications joint venture. LTCP was retained after the venture failed.

In 2000, Lucent opted to reorganize its equipment units, spinning of its Networks Systems unit as Avaya, and selling off its Consumer Products unit. Its telephone leasing operation was sold to Consumer Phone Services, and its consumer telephone manufacturing division was purchased by VTech on April 2, 2000.

Today

Renamed VTech Innovation, L.P., the former LTCP manufacturing division does business as Advanced American Telephones. Telephone production was abruptly shifted to China. Advanced American Telephones also entered a 10-year licensing agreement with AT&T to use the AT&T brand on all telephones it would produce.

Phones made today by AAT primarily include Cordless telephones and some corded phones such as Trimlines and some multi-line desk phones. AAT also holds the trademark rights to the Trimline & Design Line names, as well as others.

External links

* [http://telephones.att.com/ AT&T Phone Store]
* [http://www.bell-labs.com/news/2000/april/3/3.html Press Release regarding sale to VTech]
* [http://www.vtech.com/about_vtech/history.php History of VTech]