AT&T to buy BellSouth for $67 billion

AT&T Inc., formerly SBC and BellSouth Corp. announced that they have reached an agreement AT&T to buy BellSouth for $67 billion. The merger of the two companies, which own respectively 60 % and 40 % of Cingular Wireless will transfer the management and control of the the nation's largest wireless carrier to AT&T. The combined company, using the Cingular, BellSouth and AT&T networks, will be able to offer customers new services as well as expanded service capabilities. AT&T has also announced that after the merger, it is planning to employ a single brand (currently, the three companies support three distinct brands), although they did not clearly state whether Cingular will be re-branded AT&T Wireless or not. The merger, which is still subject to approval by shareholders of both companies as well as regulatory authorities, is expected to be closed down within approximately 12 months.

Source: BellSouth Corp.