text: AT&T Buying Centennial Communications | dailywireless.org
  Posted by Sam Churchill on November 8th, 2008
  In its second wireless deal in two days (after buy WiFi company Wayport), AT&T announced Friday evening that it would buy Centennial Communications, a regional wireless phone company, for $944 million in cash, a price that is more than double Centennial's stock market value. It will also expand its wireless network in Puerto Rico and other regions of the United States, reports Reuters.
  AT&T has nearly 75 million wireless subscribers and aims to obtain approval for the deal from Centennial shareholders and regulators by the second quarter of 2009.
  Verizon Communications is buying rural wireless service provider Alltel for $28.1 billion, which will help it overtake AT&T as the largest U.S. wireless service provider. Meanwhile, CenturyTel announced a deal last month to buy rival rural phone company Embarq for $5.8 billion in stock.
  "The big continue to get bigger," said Michael Nelson, a wireless analyst at Stanford Group. "It's becoming increasingly difficult for the smaller carriers to compete against the large national carriers."
  In other news, MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless will offer free roaming onto each other's networks, reports RCR Wireless News.
  Leap's markets (Cricket) will be free to MetroPCS customers signed up for the carrier's $45- and $50-per-month service plans, and can be added to other plans for $5 per month, with similar offers by MetroPCS.