a former American telephone system, governed by American Telephone & Telegraph Company (now AT&T Corporation (AT&T Corporation); q.v.) and including Western Electric Company (Western Electric Company Inc.) (q.v.), the system's manufacturer; Bell Laboratories (q.v.), the research and development facility; and other departments and 22 operating companies. The system was dismantled in 1983, when the 22 operating companies were divested by AT&T under court order.