At 23 Jul 2008 14:29:30 -0700 Mark Crispin wrote:

> > Didn't Cingular's acquisition of AT&T Wireless put it ahead of Verizon a
> > few years ago? The Dobson acquisition was only a few million customers.
>
> Nope. The ATTWS acquisition put it close, but Dobson brought it over.

A quick Google search confirmed my failing memory:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/cingular/20429/

Although Verizon has come close to toppling them, (I seem to recall them
roughly neck and neck at 60-65 million customers in late '06 or early '07,)
I believe Cingular/AT&T has maintained it's lead ever since the late 2004
merger.


> > Although I really don't know why anyone cares about the "most
> > subscribers" total anyway.
>
> I agree. That comment was just to tweak the noses of the fanboys
> who think that there is something significant about AT&T currently
> having the "most subscribers".


Fair enough- I wholeheartedly support tweaking the fanboys! ;-)

Besides, it's all academic anyway- I have it on good Oxythority than in 5
years all cellphone companies will be out of business and we'll all be
VoIPing each other for free on our iPhones over free nationwide WiFi...

....and occasionally ducking so we don't get hit in the head by all of the
flying pigs...