Will AT&T Leave You On Hold?

By Daren Fonda

The cell-phone wars have taken a toll on AT&T Wireless. In the first of what could be a wave of mergers, the nation's third largest carrier announced it was up for sale. Cingular has reportedly offered $30 billion to snap it up, but other rivals are bidding too. What's in it for consumers? Analysts say that as wireless carriers consolidate, today's generous promos (a gazillion minutes, heavily discounted phones) may get more flinty. But call quality and coverage are likely to improve, since carriers that use similar technical standards (such as AT&T Wireless and Cingular) could combine their networks with relative ease. No more dead zones and patchy sound? Now that's a calling plan. --By Daren Fonda