Nortel's origins date back to the 19th century as the Northern Electric and Manufacturing Company Limited. Nortel has undergone a series of transformations and corporate restructurings since its inception in 1895, including a merger with the Bell Telephone Company of Canada in 1913, which led to the formation of the Northern Electric Company, later known as Northern Telecom. In 1998, Nortel acquired Bay Networks, which included the BayStack line of Ethernet and Fast Ethernet switches, routers, and other equipment.
