BEDMINSTER, 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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