The size ranged from small mom and pop companies run by a husband and wife team, to large independent companies, such as GTE, Theodore Gary & Company, United Telecom, ConTel and Centel, which resembled the Bell system with vertical integration.
The size ranged from the small mom and pop companies run by a husband and wife team, with the husband doing the outside lines work and the wife operating a manual switchboard. Large independent companies, such as GTE, Theodore Gary & Company, United Telecom, ConTel and Centel resembled the Bell system with vertical integration.