> Even if you make a phone that only works on the AT&T network, you still need to agree to their terms. Prior to the 1980s, AT&T, as the dominant telephone ser

> Even if you make a phone that only works on the AT&T network, you still need to agree to their terms. Prior to the 1980s, AT&T, as the dominant telephone service provider in the United States, had a policy that only allowed customers to use telephones that were leased from them. This policy was rooted in the belief that non-AT&T equipment could harm the telephone network. Does that sounds familiar? Several legal cases (and the eventual breakup of AT&T) eventually opened up the AT&T network to third party phones and consumers rejoiced.