AT&T Incorporated, which has agreed to buy BellSouth Corporation for $67 billion in stock, on Monday said it expects to cut about 10,000 jobs between 2007 and 2009. The acquisition of BellSouth is expected to close next year, and the job cuts would take place over three years, AT&T chief financial officer Rick Lindner told reporters by telephone. Before the job cuts, the combined company would have 317,000 employees. The planned job cuts are in addition to the 26,000 cuts AT&T has already announced. AT&T expects the acquisition announced Sunday to save it $2 billion annually, partly by combining the two workforces. More savings from the proposed acquisition would come from reduced advertising expenses and combining the telecommunications network and information-technology operations of the companies.
