This proved enormously popular, prompting rival Sprint PCS to follow suit. The regional players, which then included Vodafone AirTouch, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth and others, wanted to jump on board. That calculus alone helped drive much of the consolidation, analysts say. That created a giant with close to 25 million subscribers. A similar joint venture between BellSouth and SBC Communications' wireless properties created Cingular Wireless, which is still getting off the ground.
Analysts say the bulk of the consolidation binge is likely over.
After all, there are few major companies left unaffiliated. However, WorldCom still lacks a wireless division, a gap that could spark skirmishes somewhere down the road. Instead, in 2001 and beyond, companies are likely to focus on finding ways to bring consumers into the world of wireless data and to keep subscriber growth high now that nationwide competition is fierce. Now that the stabilization has really happened, we'll see a lot of progression on next-generation strategies. Inc. All rights reserved.