Background and Identification
AT&T is a telecommunications company based in the United States. The name AT&T stands for the “American Telephone and Telegraph Company,” hinting that the company may have originated a long time ago. Indeed, from 1885 to 1984, the company controlled a monopoly on telephone signals and communications in the United States. In 1984, the U.S. government forced the corporation to split into eight smaller companies, but one of these descendants eventually bought the old AT&T and took its name again. It’s complicated and better left for corporate lawyers, but the moral of the story is that AT&T was a major telephone company for almost one hundred years.
Consequently, there are many phones still around that were sold by AT&T. They also sell new phones with fancy technology like cordless operation. Woah! One of the most recognizable AT&T telephones is the Model 500. You’ve probably seen it in a movie or in a museum, but if not you can see it in action in this YouTube video. This model was sold in the 1950s and was followed by the updated Model 1500 in the 1960s and the Model 2500 which was produced into the 21st century.
You can identify AT&T landline phones by looking for the words “AT&T” somewhere on the case, or by looking for the globe logo used by the company. Most landline phones will include a phone jack on the back so you can connect the system to a phone line in your building. Some of the earlier phones mentioned above might be identified with the name “Western Electric” instead of AT&T because at the time AT&T sold phones through their descendant company Western Electric. Once again, could you try to be less confusing AT&T?
Common components in a phone that might need repair are the batteries and the speakers. A regular phone has a microphone (to listen to what you’re saying) and a speaker (so you can hear your friend). Ideally, these components can be removed and replaced once you open the case that encloses the innards of the phone. See the guides on this page for more information.
Additional Information
History of the telephone on Wikipedia