Size Matters: The Serious Side of the Cingular Rebranding

There's a serious business strategy behind consolidating Cingular under the AT&T brand.

Telcos are having their lunch eaten by the cable industry's offer of "triple play" (TV, Voice, and Internet) pricing bundles.

By combining their wireless and wireline customers in a single "call free" pricing bundle, AT&T is putting up a defensive perimeter. It also helps CingularAT&T compete against other wireless carriers.

According to Olga Kharf at BusinessWeek.com, the tagline is "Call 100 million AT&T customers for free."

Mickeleh's Take: There should be a big honking asterisk after "free." It's more like a cosmetic counter "gift with purchase." This is just the first step. As AT&T steps up to IPTV, they'll be able to throw a "Quad-play" (TV, Internet, Wired phone and wireless) at Cable.

More discussion at techmeme

(Tags: AT&T, Cingular, Branding, Telecom, Cable)