AT&T to resurrect AT&T name for wireless

AT&T plans to offer Cingular-based wireless services under the AT&T brand.  

"We plan to resell Cingular Wireless services to our AT&T customers under the AT&T brand at some point in the future but we have no additional details at this time," an AT&T spokesman said. "Through the joint venture agreement for Cingular, both the new AT&T and BellSouth have always had the ability to resell Cingular Wireless service to their customers under their own brands."

Cingular is a jointly-owned venture of AT&T and BellSouth. A BellSouth spokesman concurs that the right to change the brand name of Cingular-based wireless service had been written into the contract between AT&T and BellSouth. 

He says BellSouth is neither surprised or concerned about the pending name change of AT&T's wireless service.

Some published reports state the AT&T - the carrier formed from last week's closure of SBC's acquisition of AT&T - plans to resurrect the AT&T Wireless brand, but the AT&T spokesman did not confirm that.

Cingular, meanwhile, says the pending rebranding of AT&T's wireless service is business as usual for the operator. AT&T owns 60% of Cingular while BellSouth owns 40%.  

"We are and will continue to be a national brand," the Cingular spokesman says. "Both owners support that. The notion that one of the owners might offer Cingular service under another brand is no surprise to us."

The plan would add another twist in the entanglements between SBC, AT&T and Cingular. The pre-merger AT&T spun off AT&T Wireless in 2001. Cingular bought AT&T Wireless in 2004 for $41 billion, making Cingular the No. 1 wireless operator with 50 million subscribers.