Bloomberg News service is reporting that Mark Feidler got a $12.5 million payment from BellSouth to stay with the firm.

Feidler, chief staff officer at BellSouth, received an offer to join another company, Bloomberg said, citing a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Feidler was chief operating officer at Cingular before joining BellSouth on Jan. 1.

BellSouth: www.bellsouth.com