Gte Lands Cellular Deal

Tue., April 6, 1999

From Staff

Ameritech Corp., looking for federal regulators to bless its planned merger with SBC Communications, is selling nearly half of its cellular interests to GTE Corp., the phone company that’s seeking to merge with Bell Atlantic Corp.

The $3.3 billion deal is the latest move in an industry scramble of acquisitions and alliances aimed at luring corporate customers - the most profitable portion of the telecommunications market - with national and global networks that offer a wide array of calling, Internet and media services.

“SBC-Ameritech and Bell Atlantic-GTE are gathering assets to compete with the AT&T’s and MCI Worldcom’s of the world,” A.G. Edwards analyst Joseph Eshoo said Monday. “It’s coming down to four large international telecom carriers who will be competing aggressively for the best customers.”

The deal announced Monday would make a combined Bell Atlantic-GTE the biggest U.S. wireless carrier with 13 million subscribers, including 1.7 million Ameritech customers in the Chicago and St. Louis areas and northwest Indiana.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.

Gte Lands Cellular Deal

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

Updated: Russia conducts massive nuclear drills as Putin visits China

Updated: Boeing, UPS and the FAA face investigators after deadly MD-11 crash

Updated: NATO is starting to consider Hormuz mission to protect ships