AirTouch Communications Inc and US West Inc estimate that the merger of their cellular telephone assets will be worth about $13,500m assuming a $250 value per potential customer; the deal gives AirTouch coverage of the rest of the west and US West gains entry into California with the combined cellular properties giving coverage all along the West Coast corridor from Canada to Mexico, and in most states west of the Mississippi River; it also includes the Atlanta area and several Midwest markets in Michigan and Ohio; the definitive agreement gives US West significant strategic flexibility, including the right to convert its 30% ownership into direct ownership of AirTouch shares at private market value no later than 10 years from the deal’s closing.
