One day prior to this issue of The Independent shipping to the printer, AT&T announced its colossal acquisition of BellSouth, an event that could have a significant impact on the independent telco market. In unveiling the new (make that new again) AT&T, the two companies focused a lot on that all-encompassing favorite word in M&A circles: synergy. Translated into everyday terms, it usually boils down to two actions — layoffs and really putting the screws to vendors.

Of course, there are good reasons for AT&T to want BellSouth. Not the least of which is to give AT&T full control over Cingular. Independents might benefit by having such a major company drive down equipment costs. More important is the fact that the new AT&T will be focused even more on large national and multi-national businesses and consumers in the biggest cities. To hijack an old slogan, the new company will be acting globally but not thinking locally. Advantage: independents.

This issue of The Independent features two stories that demonstrate what happens when a telco thinks locally. The first is our cover story, written by Dan O'Shea, on Centennial Wireless on page 22. While much of the wireless industry is consolidating around large national players like Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint and the aforementioned Cingular, Centennial has outpaced competitors by focusing on only three market clusters. What's more, the company gives unprecedented power to its regional executives, allowing them to tailor operations and marketing around the specific nuances of each market.

The second story is Ed Gubbins' profile of Allband Communications on page 30. More than just a simple story about a carrier serving a remote area, Gubbins focuses on how one man's determination to get phone service in rural Michigan led him to create the first new U.S. ILEC in more than 40 years.

As Ken Pyle points out in his column on page 36, one of the greatest assets independents have is their connection to the community. By maintaining presence in the local area — and very often being leaders — independents not only learn the subtleties of their specific markets, they're able to create services that are most beneficial to growing the local community. That's synergy that can't be replicated by an acquisition.