Business Week reports that SBC is likely to switch its name to AT&T once the deal closes.

"The AT&T brand still ranks among the most recognizable corporate monikers in the world. Of course, it has diminished since the height of AT&T's power, when it spent as much as $1 billion a year on marketing and advertising. But the name, which goes back to the incorporation of AT&T in 1885, has hardly passed from the national consciousness."

As readers of this blog know well: SBC is one of the largest of the telcos pushing IPTV as they compete against the cable providers like Comcast. A few years ago, it was Comcast that bought AT&T Cable; becoming the largest cable company. It just goes to show you that management can make or break a company's future. Obviously, the old AT&T management did not have what it took.