News

Cingular Wireless LLC has just received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to acquire AT&T Wireless, creating the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

The FCC has yet to officially announce its approval of this merger, but various news sources are reporting they were leaked the information.

The deal is also expected to receive approval from the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.), which looks into all mergers of large companies to be sure they don't violate anti-trust laws.

Update: The D.O.J. has just announced that it has approved this merger.

The combined company will have over 47 million customers, spectrum in 49 states, and coverage in 97 of the top 100 markets.

However, it will be required to sell off some of its assets in areas where it will have too large a share of the market.

Cingular and AT&T Wireless carry a variety of smartphones and cellular-wireless handhelds, like the Treo 600, Nokia N-Gage QD, and various RIM BlackBerry models.