Industry Spotlight: Atlanta Telecommunications Industry

When discussing the most prosperous and busiest cities in the U.S., Atlanta might not come to mind on first consideration, but that’s a mistake. It’s the ninth largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and home to over 5.5 million people. Atlanta rose from the devastation of the Civil War to become a national center of commerce, and it has kept its stellar reputation ever since.

Atlanta’s Economy & Education

There’s no doubt that Atlanta’s economy is booming. It has the eighth largest economy in the country, earning $304 billion, and serves as the regional, national, and global headquarters for many corporations. In fact, over 75% of Fortune 100 companies have business operations in the Atlanta metro area.

One of the reasons that so many corporations choose Atlanta for their base of operations is the highly educated workforce. In 2010, almost 43% of adults in the city had college degrees, and that’s thanks in large part to the exceptional universities that call the city home.

Atlanta residents have plenty of business schools to choose from if and when they’re ready to earn an MBA. At the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, Full-Time MBA students can complete their program with a consulting emphasis in industries such as telecommunications. As for Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business MBAs, they can get involved with the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology.

In recent times, Atlanta has become home to a number of industries including logistics, business services, media operations, and information technology. But where it really shines is as a headquarters for telecommunications companies.

Atlanta’s Telecommunications Industry

Atlanta has always been a home for the telecommunication industry. If you’re wondering where to work in the Atlanta area, we’ve compiled a list of the largest and best telecom businesess in the Atlanta area.

AT&T

Probably one of the most well-known mobile telephone providers in the U.S., AT&T is headquartered in Dallas but has a large operation in Atlanta employing 16,950 people. By revenue, AT&T is the largest telecommunications company in the world and the second largest provider of mobile telephones in the U.S. In 2015, it was ranked #6 on the rankings of the World’s Most Valuable Brands. In the same year, the company earned $146.8 billion in revenue and employed 243,620 worldwide.

Cox Enterprises

Cox Enterprises is an American conglomerate based in Atlanta where the company employs 6,864 individuals. The conglomerate owns Cox Communications—the telecom division—as well as Kelley Blue Book, Valpak, and more. Uniquely, the company is 99% family owned and earns $18 billion in revenue. Cox Communications, the telecommunications side of the business, is the seventh largest telephone carrier in the U.S. and provides Internet to more than 3.5 million.

Verizon Wireless

Beating out AT&T, Verizon is the largest wireless telecommunications provider in the U.S. In Atlanta, they employ 3,867 individuals, and in 2015 earned $131.62 billion in revenue. Verizon operates America’s largest 4G LTE network and an all-new all-fiber broadband network. Overall, the company serves 113.2 million wireless customers and 5.5 million Fios Internet subscribers.

Comcast Cable Communications, Inc.

Comcast cable is the cable division of Comcast. Its trade name is Xfinity and, in 2013, the company earned $48.1 billion in revenue. As of 2011, Comcast serviced 40% of the Internet market in the U.S., approximately 19.986 million customers. Comcast also offers VoIP Phone, broadcasting, and cable television services among others. In Atlanta, they have 3,047 employees.

Sprint Nextel Corp

Sprint is an American telecommunications company offering wireless and Internet services. It is the fourth largest wireless network operator in the country, serving 59.5 million customers. In 2016, Sprint earned $32.18 billion in revenue. At their Atlanta base of operations, they employ 1,800 individuals and the company was recently voted as one of the best places to work in Atlanta by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

AllConnect

AllConnect is a unique telecommunications marketplace founded in 1998 and headquartered in Atlanta. The company has relationships with major home services providers and helps customers save time and money by offering communication, video, Internet, and phone bundles. They work with major telecommunication companies such as AT&T, Xfinity, Cox, and more. They employ 750 people.

Birch

Birch is a leading communications provider. The company has been in business since 1996 and offers communications, network, cloud, and IT services. They focus on providing integrated technology solutions and their service spans the all of the U.S. They have 31,000 miles of fiber, 4 data centers, and 550,00 Metro-Fiber buildings. They’re headquartered in Atlanta and were recently recognized by Inc. 500 as one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. They employ 1,498 people.

Other telecommunication companies that have operations in Atlanta include PGI (1,541 employees), EarthLink (152 employees), Movius Interactive (175 employees), and Vonage (200 employees).

regions: Atlanta

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