AT&T becomes too big, and splits into many different companies, biggest ones being BellSouth and SBC.
AT&T creates AT&T Wireless for cellular markets. Meanwhile SBC and BellSouth merge their Wireless Divisions together and create Cingular.
AT&T Wireless makes a loss, so Cingular buys it and renames AT&T Wireless to Cingular; this makes Cingular nation’s largest cellular network.
AT&T is making a loss, so SBC buys AT&T and calls itself the “new” AT&T.
But SBC also owns a part of Cingular, so now AT&T also owns Cingular. Cingular is also co-owned by BellSouth.
AT&T (SBC) buys out BellSouth and renames it AT&T. The “new” AT&T is now a merger of SBC and BellSouth who own Cingular.
Hence AT&T owns Cingular as its parent company.
AT&T decides to rename Cingular to AT&T Wireless!
Exactly, what happened?