AT&T Mobility buys remaining stake in Edge Wireless

AT&T Mobility said it will acquire the remaining stake in regional carrier Edge Wireless L.LC. through an affiliate.
AT&T Mobility has held a minority stake in Edge since it was formed in 2000, and now has entered into an agreement with Edge Wireless Holding Co. to buy out the remaining 64.3% of the company.
Edge currently serves approximately 172,000 customers in portions of northern California, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming.
The transaction must gain regulatory approval and is expected to close by mid-2008. Financial details were not disclosed. National carriers have recently made several deals to acquire smaller, regional players in order to improve coverage in rural and suburban markets. AT&T Mobility’s $2.8 billion buy-out of Dobson Communications Corp. was recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission.