Dead brands: A stroll through the wireless operator graveyard

AirTouch Cellular was one of the half dozen carriers that merged in 2000 to eventually create what is now Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless operator in the United States.

AirTouch got its start in the 1990s as a U.S.-based wireless service provider, but was acquired by Europe's Vodafone in 1999. The next year, Bell Atlantic, GTE and Vodafone's U.S. operations merged to become Verizon, which shared ownership of the wireless effort with Vodafone.

The mega-merger created a precedent for both foreign-owned carriers (think Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA) and renewed concerns over Bell monopolies (think SBC, BellSouth and the new AT&T).

For more:
- see this special report
- see this Wikipedia entry