View source for AirTouch

{{short description|U.S. communications company}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox company
| name = AirTouch Communications, Inc.
| logo = Airtouch logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| logo_alt = AirTouch logo
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{NYSE was|ATI}}
| slogan = 
| foundation = {{start date and age|1994|3|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/airtouch.com|title=AirTouch.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|access-date=2016-10-29}}</ref>
| defunct = 2006
| location = [[One California]]<br>[[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]], [[San Francisco]], [[California]], U.S.
| key_people = 
| industry = [[Mobile phone|Cellular Communications]]
| num_employees = 
| products = [[Mobile phone|Cellular Telephone Service]], [[Pager|Paging]]
| revenue = 
| homepage = 
| fate = Merged with [[Vodafone]] into AirTouch by Vodafone, then was merged with Bell Atlantic and GTE to form Verizon Wireless
| predecessor = [[Pacific Telesis]]
| successor = [[Verizon Wireless]]
}}

'''AirTouch Communications, Inc.''' was an American [[Mobile phone|wireless telephone]] service provider, created as a [[Corporate spin-off|spin-off]] of [[Pacific Telesis]] on April 1, 1994. Its headquarters were located in the [[One California]] building in the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]] of [[San Francisco]], California.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19980222065911/http://www.airtouch.com/airtouch/contact/ Contact Information]". AirTouch. Retrieved on January 10, 2010.</ref> After a series of mergers, the company's vestiges are now part of [[Verizon (mobile network)|Verizon]].

==History==
At the time of the [[Bell System divestiture]] in 1984, each [[Regional Bell Operating Company]] (Baby Bell) was given a portion of the [[Advanced Mobile Phone System]] (AMPS) network corresponding to its service area. Pacific Telesis, the Baby Bell covering California and Nevada, spun off its wireless services as AirTouch Communications in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vodafone.com/article/0,3029,CATEGORY_ID%253D41504%2526LANGUAGE_ID%253D0%2526CONTENT_ID%253D231202,00.html |title=Vodafone |access-date=2005-12-10 |archive-date=2005-10-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027180903/http://www.vodafone.com/article/0,3029,CATEGORY_ID%253D41504%2526LANGUAGE_ID%253D0%2526CONTENT_ID%253D231202,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Image:USWNV.PNG|thumb|U S WEST NewVector Group logo]]
[[US West]]'s '''US West New Vector''' was also created from AMPS. In July 1994, U S West agreed to a joint venture with AirTouch as a prelude to merging the cellular unit into AirTouch.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhattacherjee |first1=Anol |title=U S West Global Village |url=http://www.isworld.org/onlineteachingcases/cases/USWest.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040706002936/http://www.isworld.org/onlineteachingcases/cases/USWest.pdf |archive-date=2004-07-06 |page=19 |date=1997 |url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1996, all accounts were operated under the AirTouch name. Due to regulatory issues,<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n31_v15/ai_20639667 Federal tax legislation could force renegotiation of AirTouch/U S West deal]</ref> the full merger was not completed until February 1998.<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n5_v16/ai_20298254 It's getting final: AirTouch to acquire U S West wireless properties]</ref> As part of the merger, certain overlapping areas of coverage had to be sold to other wireless providers. Many of these went to GTE Wireless.

[[File:Cellular Phone - AirTouch 1990s.jpg|thumb|An AirTouch cellular phone from the 1990s.]]
On June 30, 1999, AirTouch Communications merged with UK-based [[Vodafone]], becoming Vodafone AirTouch, after rejecting overtures from [[Bell Atlantic]].<ref>[http://www1.iwon.com/home/careers/company_profile/0,15623,1210,00.html iWon<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507214226/http://www1.iwon.com/home/careers/company_profile/0%2C15623%2C1210%2C00.html |date=2006-05-07 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release |title=WIRELESS TELECOMMUNCATIONS [sic&#93; BUREAU APPROVES AIRTOUCH/VODAFONE MERGER |url=https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/1999/nrwl9026.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021030926/https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Wireless/News_Releases/1999/nrwl9026.html |archive-date=21 October 2011 |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=27 May 2021}}</ref> In September 1999, Vodafone AirTouch announced a $70-billion joint venture with Bell Atlantic to be called [[Verizon Wireless]], which would be composed of the two companies' U.S. wireless assets, Bell Atlantic Mobile (another AMPS spinoff) and AirTouch Cellular.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://writing.deblauwe.org/bavag.pdf |last=Deblauwe |first=Francis |title=Bell Atlantic/Vodafone AirTouch/GTE US Mobile Partnership overview |access-date=2005-12-10 |date=2000-01-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050817075704/http://writing.deblauwe.org/bavag.pdf |archive-date=2005-08-17 }}</ref> This wireless joint venture received regulatory approval in six months, and began operations as Verizon Wireless on April 4, 2000. On June 30, 2000, the addition of GTE Wireless' assets, in connection with the merger of Bell Atlantic and [[GTE]] to form [[Verizon Communications]], made Verizon Wireless the nation's largest wireless communications provider. For the joint venture, Verizon Communications owned 55% and Vodafone owned 45%. AirTouch Paging was re-branded as Verizon Wireless Messaging Services. In June 2006, Verizon Wireless sold the paging division to American Messaging Services.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-06-06|title=American Messaging Becomes the Second Largest Paging Company in the United States with the Acquisition of the Paging Operations of Verizon Wireless|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060606005073/en/American-Messaging-Largest-Paging-Company-United-States|access-date=2020-07-07|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en}}</ref> In 2014, Verizon Communications purchased the 45% owned by Vodafone, making Verizon Wireless a wholly owned subsidiary.

[[File:AirTouch thermal tote bag.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A tote bag bearing the AirTouch logo.]]
Verizon Wireless still maintains a [[call center]] in some of the buildings that used to house AirTouch Cellular's call center and administrative offices.

== See also ==
* {{Portal inline|San Francisco Bay Area}}
* {{Portal inline|Companies}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.thisisarecording.com/Airtouch.html Archive of Airtouch Intercept Messages]

{{AT&T Spinoffs}}
{{Vodafone}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Airtouch}}
[[Category:1994 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1999 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2006 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Corporate spin-offs]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Defunct mobile phone companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Telecommunications companies disestablished in 2006]]
[[Category:Telecommunications companies established in 1994]]
[[Category:Verizon Wireless]]
[[Category:Vodafone]]