BUSINESS MEMO: WIRELESS MERGER

BellSouth Corp. and SBC Communications Inc., two powerful regional phone companies, are discussing combining their wireless phone operations in an effort to compete against rivals with nationwide networks, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

For consumers, the deal could mean cheaper phone bills because customers could use their phones while traveling and not incur "roaming" charges for calls outside their region.

The companies are working out details of forming a joint-venture company combining SBC's 11 million customers in the Southwest, Midwest and California with BellSouth's 5 million customers in the Southeast, according to the source.