Telecommunications stocks have a longer history than most people realize. For example, AT&T (T) can trace its roots back to the founding of Bell Telephone Company in 1877.
The sector has obviously changed a lot since 1877, and with new trends such as mobile phones, the Internet, the emergence of cable TV and other developments telecommunications companies are active in many more areas than they were a century ago.
Today, the telecommunications sector is categorized by high capital investment, sluggish growth, and generous dividend payments. In short, the telecommunications sector has matured.
SK Telecom is the largest wireless telecom operator in Korea by revenue and number of subscribers. It was founded in 1984 as Korea Mobile Telecommunications and became SK Telecom in 1997.
Telephone & Data Systems is a telecommunications company that provides customers with cellular and landline services, wireless products, cable, broadband,and voice services across 24 U.S. states.
Comcast is not a telecommunications company in the sense that it is not focused on wireless services. Rather, Comcast generates the majority of its revenues from cable services.