AT&T announced plans today to acquire full ownership of wireless company Edge Wireless. The regional provider has approximately 172,000 subscribers and operates in several markets in the Pacific Northwest.

AT&T has held a minority ownership interest in Eagle Wireless since 2000, when the company was founded. The terms of the transaction specify that AT&T will acquire the remaining 64.3% of the company for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will merge Edge Wireless' GSM network, which includes more than 300 cell sites in Northern California, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming, with AT&T’s existing networks in the region.

Edge’s existing customers will be added into AT&T’s 67.3 million wireless subscriber base, and all AT&T customers will be able to get better in-network roaming in Edge’s coverage areas. Contingent on regulatory approvals from the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, the transaction is expected to close by mid-2008.