September 15, 1999BEDMINSTER, NJ
Bell Atlantic Mobile, one of the largest
wireless carriers in the country, has purchased the remaining interests
in Hudson Valley RSA Cellular Partnership, which holds the cellular system
license for New York Rural Service Area 6 (NY6). Bell Atlantic Mobile
previously owned 33% of the Hudson Valley partnership, with Taconic Cellular
Corp., Berkshire Cellular Inc., Germantown Cellular Inc., and State Cellular
Inc., each owning 16.7% of the partnership. Terms of the transactions
were not disclosed.
NY6 is a major roaming market covering over 1,200 square
miles and serving the eastern New York counties of Greene and Columbia.
The market bisects the New York State Thruway and borders Bell Atlantic
Mobile's Albany and Poughkeepsie markets to the north and south and the
company's Pittsfield, Massachusetts market to the east.
Taconic Cellular Corp. is a subsidiary of Taconic Telephone
Corp. headquartered in Chatham, New York. Taconic has served as general
manager of the cellular partnership since its inception in 1990. Taconic
Telephone Corp. is itself a subsidiary of MJD Communications, Inc. based
Charlotte, North Carolina.
Berkshire Cellular Inc. is a subsidiary of Berkshire
Telephone Corp. of Kinderhook, New York. Germantown Cellular Inc. is a
subsidiary of Germantown Telephone Co. of Germantown, New York, and State
Cellular Inc. is affiliated with State Telephone Co. of Coxsackie, New
York.
Bell Atlantic Mobile owns and operates the largest wireless
network in the East and systems in the Southwest, covering 180,000 square
miles, and the largest chain of retail outlets devoted exclusively to
wireless voice, data and paging. Based in Bedminster, NJ, Bell Atlantic
Mobile has 6.6 million customers and 8,000 employees from Maine to Georgia
and in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and west Texas. Through its "Wireless
at Work..." community service program, the company uses its technology to
help individuals and communities improve security and emergency communications.
Bell Atlantic Mobile's parent, Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:BEL) is
one of the world's largest wireless communications companies, with domestic
operations in 25 states and international investments in Mexico, Europe
and the Pacific Rim. For more information on Bell Atlantic Mobile visit:
www.bam.com; on global operations visit: www.bellatlantic.com/worldwide
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