Phone firms are losing their grip on an industry they pioneered

Companies such as AT&T Inc and Telefonica SA aren’t widely known as custodians of the Web in the same way as Google or Facebook Inc, but they built – and still own – many of the datacentres that power our phone apps, streaming services and corporate networks. — Reuters

Phone carriers have been at the heart of computer networks since their birth half a century ago. Now they’ve begun a tactical retreat.

Companies such as AT&T Inc and Telefonica SA aren’t widely known as custodians of the Web in the same way as Google or Facebook Inc, but they built – and still own – many of the datacentres that power our phone apps, streaming services and corporate networks.