The wireless consolidation begins

It's no secret that AT&T Wireless is about to be swallowed by another major wireless operator. Just who will get the prize couldn't be determined as of this writing, but the deal is almost certainly going to happen in some form. It will amount to a major merger for the cellular world-and it likely won't be the last. But if wireless is such a happening thing, how come the industry is consolidating (not shrinking, mind you-just consolidating)?

Part of the problem goes back to the early days of PCS spectrum, when it was decided to partition the spectrum into relatively small chunks and thus set the stage for a potentially vast number of carriers. And, indeed, the United States is the only country in the world with six nationwide wireless operators.

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