AT&T gets FCC approval for purchase of Centennial Wireless

By on Nov 6, 2009 at 1:19 PM
General November 6, 2009

att-centennial

If you’re a big telecommunications company there is the hard way to add 893,000 customers to your portfolio — by working to provide hardware and services that people value and want — then there is the easy way. Cutting a check. Today, the FCC gave AT&T the final go ahead to purchase US wireless carrier Centennial Wireless for a cool $944 million. The acquisition will bolster AT&T’s presence in the midwest, southwest, and Puerto Rico, although we’re not sure how, if at all, it will impact their 3G footprint. Centennial’s stockholders will receive $8.50/share for their troubles and AT&T is saying it will have Centennial’s stores re-branded by January of 2010. Any Centennial customers out there excited about being folded into Ma Bell?Read

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  • J

    To all the VZW people in this post… Yes, you have more subs than AT

  • J

    Didn’t post all my comment.

    To all the VZW people in this post… Yes, you have more subs than AT&T but let’s not forget how you got there – by purchasing Alltel.

    Look at 3Q – AT&T added 1.3m iPhone subs and about 2m overall subs. VZW added about 1m total subs. So AT&T added more iPhone subs than VZW’s total. Doesn’t look like you’ll be #1 for much longer – enjoy it while it lasts.

    • VZW

      Let’s not forget how AT&T got ahead of Verizon in the past. Cingular buying AT&T Wireless. Also, before we bought Alltel, Verizon was very very close to beating AT&T in customer base. And, Verizon will stay number 1. We have the network, ratings, 3G network, soon 4G network, and soon the best selection of smart phones. AT&T has nothing to beat Verizon. AT&T net adds will drop this Q.

      • J

        Exactly. You’re first part is correct. What I’m saying is that it seems like right now (especially on this site) when VZW buys a company to add subscribers, nothing is really said but when AT&T does then it’s “why can’t you add subs the traditional way”… little bit of a double standard.

        But your second part is way off. AT&T’s net adds have beaten VZW steadily for quite awhile now and are the margin is actually on the rise, not the decline.

      • J

        And, don’t forget either that Verizon itself was created through merging AirTouch, Bell Atlantic and GTE… just like Cingular merged with AT&T.

      • VZW

        Back in 2000…

      • Don Louie Cantone
      • VZW

        That wasn’t an outage. It was down for upgrading. A new My Verizon on the browser too.

  • ozziedog

    Is this like when Cingular bought AT&T and then Cingular became AT&T or however that went. I’m still waiting for all the promises about how it was going to be good for the customer, when?

  • freedomcaller

    Sure! Just adding more dead spots across the nation, AT&T people enjoy your iphone while its connected to the network.

  • Sigh…

    sigh… so AT&T need to combine Cingular, and Centennial Wireless just to play catch up?!

  • Dwayne

    I’m a part of AT&T because I want to be. And can I add, that I am loving this new theme on BGR. It’s really hot.

  • http://chris@chrisrawr.com Chris

    I don’t know if it’s Verizon or AT&T people with the problem in this article (who downranked my comment which was all fact and unbiased), but some of you people have serious problems anyway.

    WOW! I can’t believe you people are actually fighting and flaming over freaking wireless carriers. We all know Verizon has the largest 3G network. That’s a fact. You can’t argue it. We all know AT&T, for the most part, has the fastest 3G network. Another fact. AT&T has the best and most popular phone, whether you like it or not (iDo). Verizon has more customers. Verizon has a more reliable 3G network. AT&T can handle simultaneous voice and data.

    What is all the damn fighting over? I swear, if you people ruled the world, WWIII would have started over whose cell phone is better.

    • Adam

      Welcome to the interwebs! We love to fight all day and, well, fight all night!

  • Matt

    This is actually a good thing for me. Centennial has very good service in my area especially by my house and when I had them in the past I seemed to get better signal in buildings (850 towers?) etc.

  • manny

    @J. Breaux,

    The reason centennial works good where they have service is because they operate on the 850mhz band which is really strong. That is why AT

  • D.J.

    Any dollar AT&T spends that doesn’t improve the quality or availability of their network is wasted.

    Honestly who gives a damn about theoretetical speed advantages or the ability to use data while talking? In a lot of heavily populated areas you are lucky to be able to get a phone call or use data at all, let alone get high speed downloads or multitask.

    • darkpoet

      I live in Indianapolis and have no problem with dropped calls or data loss.

  • http://www.bgr.com StormTrooper2

    I dont care what you guys are talking about, but im so loving my Storm2.

  • blah

    Commercial opens…

    User on a 2 hour BlackBerry call… caller says “I just sent you that report, can you check it while we continue to talk?” User says “Sorry I’m on Verizon and can’t talk and get mail at the same time.” caller asks “Why not?”

    Tag line “There’s no map for that.”

    • QuickWeevil

      Commercial opens…

      The scene is a city in Wisconsin. Two friends are sitting side-by-side in the afternoon. Boy says “Can you tell me the score of the baseball game from your phone?” Girls says “Can you give me 15 minutes to load the page, I have AT&T and no 3G here…”

      Tag line: “Who gives a fuck if I can’t read an e-mail on a phone call”

  • marty

    I live in missouri and have np with drop calls or data love AT

  • marty

    AT

  • Joe

    how about this VZW.

    AT&T = I can switch to whatever phone I want, even the Storm2or the Sprint Tour. And I can travel abroad taking calls.

    Verizon = Stuck with only verizon phones, buddy. And AT&T roaming is better overseas.

  • Vince

    I’ve had AT&T for a really long time and Iove it. I never have problems with 3G. AT&T will soon dominate no question about it.

    • VZW

      Nope, not anymore. They lost it this year. Verizon is about to roll out with 4G big time. Where is AT&T for 4G? Oh yeah, it will be another 2 years.

  • Don Louie Cantone

    If it isn’t working it’s an outage no matter if intentional (doubt that’s the case) or not because customer’s services were/are out therefore it’s an outage. Where is 4G again, oh yeah with Sprint and Clearwire

  • SoccerMOM

    I recently ported 5 lines to AT&T, in VA and WV AT&T picks up some much better. I have to admit I cannot live without my iphone now. I own a small business and employee about 18 people and they all get discounts at AT&T

  • chuckhollis

    We sold to ATT and why would we want to take care of customers that we are selling to a different company. We are hoping that the naked man commercial will chase people away in the bible belt. You can’t say we did not spend money on the new advertisements. I think our next commercial is going to be stripers…

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