Bell Atlantic was created as one of the original
Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) in
1984 from the former Bell of Pennsylvania, New Jersey Bell, and Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Companies. Until its merger with
NYNEX[?] in
1997, Bell Atlantic operated in the
U.S. states[?] of
New Jersey,
Pennsylvania,
Delaware,
Maryland,
West Virginia, and
Virginia.
In 2000, Bell Atlantic merged with GTE to form Verizon.