PHILADELPHIA-Bell Atlantic Corp. and Nynex Corp. have completed the combination of their cellular businesses forming a wireless company-called Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile-to serve seven of the top 20 U.S. markets.
The Bedminster, N.J.-based joint venture serves three million customers from Maine to South Carolina and the Southwest, the companies said. Their combined cellular footprint covers 53 million people and includes the New York metropolitan area as well as the communications-intensive Northeast corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C.
The company’s new management team said it would have subsequent announcements on products and service offerings beginning this week.
Coinciding with the joint cellular transaction, the two companies sold to SNET Mobility their overlapping cellular properties in New England, covering 2.3 million people, for about $450 million.
SNET acquired cellular properties covering all of Rhode Island, New Bedford and Pittsfield, Mass., as well as the 16.1 percent interest that Nynex held in a cellular partnership serving all of Connecticut and the Springfield, Mass., area.
SNET will offer its newly acquired services in the Providence, R.I., metropolitan statistical area, Rhode Island rural service area 1 and New Bedford, Mass., markets under the Cellular One brand name. As such, Cellular One said it now serves 513 of the nation’s 734 markets.
SNET service in Pittsfield, Mass., will be marketed as SNET Linx.
