A name identifying the U.S. regional telephone companies that were created from the breakup of AT&T; (Ma Bell) in 1984, when the telecommunications company was split up in order to introduce a more competitive structure to the telecom industry. The official name of the Baby Bells was the Regional Bell Operating Companies, and the original Baby Bells companies consisted of Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, Southwestern Bell, and U S West. Through acquisitions and name changes, these 7 companies now each belong to one of the three major telecommunications companies: AT&T;, Verizon, or Quest.