View this article at: http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/12/04/att.grabs.edge.wireless/

Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007 3:50pm

AT&T swallows Edge Wireless

AT&T has announced the full acquisition of Edge Wireless, a carrier operating mainly in the Pacific northwest, with extended coverage in Idaho and Wyoming. Though AT&T already had a minority ownership in Edge, it has decided to buy the remaining 64.3 percent, giving it access to an existing subscriber base of approximately 172,000. If approved by the government the purchase will also let AT&T absorb Edge's GSM network, and open up new markets for handsets such as the iPhone.

Edge is at least the second major purchase in 2007 by the former monopoly, which on the same date as the iPhone's launch, also announced the acquisition of Dobson Communications for $2.8 billion. This gave it control of the Cellular One brand, and expanded its possible subscriber base by over 1.7 million.