Will AT&T Leave You On Hold?
The cell-phone wars have taken a toll on AT&T Wireless. In the first of what could be a wave of mergers, the nation's third largest carrier announced it was up for sale. Cingular has reportedly offered $30 billion to snap it up, but other rivals are bidding too. What's in it for consumers? Analysts say that as wireless carriers consolidate, today's generous promos (a gazillion minutes, heavily discounted phones) may get more flinty. But call quality and coverage are likely to improve, since carriers that use similar technical standards (such as AT&T Wireless and Cingular) could combine their networks with relative ease. No more dead zones and patchy sound? Now that's a calling plan. --By Daren Fonda
Most Popular »
- America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit
- Rattled by Iran, Arab Regimes Draw Closer
- Israel vs. Hizballah: Drumbeats of War
- Why Home Churches are Filling Up
- Church Group Attacks Christmas Commercialism
- Citi's Dubai Mistake: A Sign of More Bad Things to Come?
- Brief History: The War on Christmas
- Death of a Faith Healer: Oral Roberts
- Study: European Muslims Feel Shut Out
- Going to Church on Christmas: A Vanishing Tradition
- Church Group Attacks Christmas Commercialism
- America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit
- Rattled by Iran, Arab Regimes Draw Closer
- Brief History: The War on Christmas
- Ecuador Officials Linked to Colombia Rebels
- Going to Church on Christmas: A Vanishing Tradition
- After Maine, the Battle Lines Over Gay Marriage Harden
- Most Domestic 'Jihadists' Are Educated, Well-Off
- Missing Corpse Clouds Cyprus Peace Process
- Study: European Muslims Feel Shut Out
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
IAN FRY a representative at the Copenhagen climate talks from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu, expressing frustration with the lack of progress
RSS