Verizon was created in 2000 when Bell Atlantic acquired GTE. The company is the largest local phone service provider in the U.S. with control of one-third of all local phone lines. Verizon Wireless (Verizon's joint venture with Vodafone) is the leading wireless provider in the nation with more than 29 million customers. Verizon also provides long-distance and Internet services and is the world's largest provider of print and online directory information, and employs about 230,000 people across the globe.