Cellular One/Dobson to be acquired by AT&T

AT&T had recently announced their plans to acquire small-time competitor Dobson Communications, which competes with AT&T in 16 different states nationwide. The acquisition of Dobson will allow AT&T to further strengthen and broaden its networks, taking advantage of areas where Dobson's network was once dominant to AT&T's. This will allow AT&T to extend its service and products, such as the iPhone, to areas like Alaska that couldn't once access these products before. This is a big move by AT&T, as it is going to cost them about $5 billion to complete this acquisition, which includes Dobson's $2.3 billion outstanding debt. If all goes as planned, things should be nearing completion by December.