Movistar Movistar Movistar () is a major telecommunications brand owned by Telefónica, operating in Spain and in many Hispanic American countries. It is the largest mobile phone operator in Spain with 22 million customers and 41.58% of market share, where it also markets landline, broadband and pay television (Movistar+). Its principal competitor in Latin America is América Móvil. The Movistar brand has been in use in Spain since the launch of GSM services in 1995. The name became effective worldwide on April 5, 2005, after Telefónica purchased the BellSouth mobile operations branch in South America. After the purchase of O in
Rochester Telephone Corporation for resale. In their early years, the company's subsidiaries reported strong profits. In 1983, as the federal government's breakup of the Bell telephone monopoly increased competition in the telecommunications industry dramatically, Rochester Telephone launched its second unregulated venture, founding the RCI Corporation. RCI installed a microwave communications network in New York State and a fiber optic hookup with Chicago. After purchasing an additional fiber optic link with Washington, D.C., the company's operations spanned 12 cities. In the mid-1980s, Rochester Telephone also entered the new radio telephone industry, when it founded Rochester Tel Mobile Communications. By the end of the decade,