As announced here nearly two months ago, SBC has now come clean and said they will use the AT&T name once the merger between the two companies is approved.

The AT&T name, which stood for American Telephone and Telegraph, traces its roots back to the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell 130 years ago, and is one of the most recognized brands in the world.

The merged company will also have a new stock ticker symbol.

“This is the brand that will lead the industry in delivering the next generation of communications and entertainment services,” SBC Chief Executive Edward E. Whitacre Jr. said in a statement, referring to the upgrade his company’s telephone network for cable TV and new multimedia services.

The Justice Department attached certain conditions in announcing its approval, requiring Verizon and SBC to divest some local network facilities in 19 metropolitan areas. Without those conditions, the agency said, the mergers would have resulted in higher prices for certain customers in 11 metropolitan areas in SBC’s territory and eight markets in Verizon’s territory.

The deals are also subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission, which is widely expected to sign off at its monthly public meeting on Friday, though the decision could slip to next week.

Either way, the AT&T deal might be completed by late November — more than half a year earlier than SBC originally projected. Verizon, also a former unit of AT&T, indicated separately Thursday it expect the MCI deal to close in January. — Associated Press

And the problems with the name change have already begun.

After having just two seasons to get used to calling the Giants’ home “SBC Park,” baseball fans soon will be asked to refer to the ballpark on the bay by a name that includes “AT&T.”

“Once we announce the merger is complete, then we do intend to move to a single brand,” said John Britton, spokesman for SBC. “We’ll of course work with the Giants to make the transition.”

Pacific Bell paid $53 million in 1996 for naming rights to the ballpark through 2019, and for four seasons after the stadium opened in 2000 it was called “Pacific Bell Park.” The naming rights were transferred to SBC, based in San Antonio, Texas, when it bought the local phone company.

It’s unclear whether the park could be renamed in time for the 2006 season.

Britton had no estimate for how much the undertaking would cost. But recalling the name change from Pacific Bell Park to SBC, he said, “There were a lot of significant references that needed to be changed.”

Those included the big lighted sign on the outside of the stadium and myriad other references on such things as tickets. — San Francisco Chronicle

“AT&T Park” it is, then. Maybe with a fresh name to their home field, the Giants can turn it around next season. Oh, sorry.