Design Line telephone

In the early 1970s, well before the Bell System divestiture, customers in increasing numbers chose to install and use telephones not manufactured by Western Electric, AT&T's wholly owned subsidiary.

To fulfill the demand, the Bell System decided to offer a series of specialty telephones that could be purchased or leased.

Western Electric broke tradition, by obtaining housings for some of the sets from other manufacturers or local contractors in Indianapolis.

Beginning in around 1980, the Bell System allowed customers to own the entire phone, including internal components.

In 1985, AT&T Technologies redesigned its consumer telephone products to be cheaper to build and be more competitive in the marketplace by adding electronic ringers and a redial function.