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Cingular Buying AT&T Wireless
Cingular Wireless won the bidding war to acquire AT&T Wireless Services for nearly $41 billion in cash, a deal that would create the nation's largest cell phone company.
Combined, Cingular and AT&T Wireless will have 46 million subscribers, enough to leapfrog Verizon Wireless' market leading customer base of 37.5 million.
Cingular, a joint venture between SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp., said its winning bid was for $15 per share, an amount that would value AT&T Wireless at $40.7 billion. Cingular will also assume $6 billion of debt owed by AT&T Wireless.
The agreement, subject to the approval of AT&T Wireless shareholders and regulatory authorities, may be the largest all-cash buyout in U.S. history, said David Caouette, spokesman for AT&T Wireless.
The combined company will carry the Cingular name and once a deal is approved, billing and other operational functions will be merged, though there will be no immediate impact on customers, said Ralph de la Vega, Cingular's chief operating officer.
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