AT&T Acquires T-Mobile USA

[Jaxidian]

AT&T-Mobile?
AT&T&T-Mobile?
Maybe they'll come up with a name that's not so double-faced, like Cingular?

Regardless of any horrible naming options they might have, it's now clear what AT&T's short-term "4G" plans are.

AT&T’s acquisition of USA provides an optimal combination of network assets to add capacity sooner than any alternative, and it provides an opportunity to improve network quality in the near term for both companies’ customers. In addition, it provides a fast, efficient and certain solution to the impending exhaustion of wireless spectrum in some markets, which limits both companies’ ability to meet the ongoing explosive demand for mobile broadband.


With this transaction, AT&T commits to a significant expansion of robust 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) deployment to 95 percent of the U.S. population to reach an additional 46.5 million Americans beyond current plans – including rural communities and small towns. This helps achieve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and President Obama’s goals to connect “every part of America to the digital age.” T-Mobile USA does not have a clear path to delivering LTE.

[... more at the source ...]

Source: Breaking: AT&T Acquires T-Mobile From Deutsche Telekom

Official site with more info

 

[hookbill]

Yep, been tweeting about it on Twitter. Never good news when there is less competition.

 

[funkyb]

So much for a Sprint merger.

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[LtKen]

So much for a Sprint merger.

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A Sprint/ATT or Spring/TMobile merger wouldnt make any sense, since they use competing cell network technology.

 

[Jaxidian]

So much for a Sprint merger.

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A Sprint/ATT or Spring/TMobile merger wouldnt make any sense, since they use competing cell network technology.

That's just 3G. Both of their 4G futures are likely LTE. Sure, both TMo and Sprint have "4G" but it's more like 3.5G and just a "quick fix/result" solution that will suffer in the long run. Additionally, who's to say that they couldn't connect the underlying networks, maintain 2 technologies for radios, consolidate towers, save on costs, and make it really work with many more options for devices that the one network could support on their new "3G" network that supports both GSM and CDMA?

That said, this merger will be an easier one on the technology front.

 

[geoff5093]

I wonder if everyone on the cheaper T-Mobile plans will be able to utilize AT&T's network after the merger.

 

[nerdkill]

Great... less competition. The idea of Google's vanilla android devices being exclusive to at&t makes me sick.

 

[phantom phenom]

this is not going end well for Tmobile customers?

I think the customers from tmobile will bolt from At&t when their contract end because of monthly price etc etc

will att change the deposit for people who have bad credit ? as far I know tmobile is pretty flexible on it

 

[phantom phenom]

I wonder if everyone on the cheaper T-Mobile plans will be able to utilize AT&T's network after the merger.

doubt it, Im pretty sure alot of Tmobile customer will go to Sprint for cheaper plans

 

[Jaxidian]

Updated the OP with a link to AT&T's official page:
AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom USA from Deutsche Telekom

 

[Martin030908]

crazy, and not good for consumer pricing IMO. now vzw and at&t can gouge away

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[UltraDroid]

WOW! I'd heard rumors of this, but didn't think it'd happen this quickly. I wonder if AT&T will want to carry the Nexus S which runs on the T-Mobile network, but is sold exclusively by Best Buy?

-Mike

 

[Beardface]

crazy, and not good for consumer pricing IMO. now vzw and at&t can gouge away

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Yup...

With only Sprint in the way, Verizon and AT&T are primed to set their own inflated prices as a cartel. This is great for their own businesses, but awful for the consumer. And whenever Sprint is bought out by one of the two, it will be the complete end to all competitive pricing.

In fact, you could see Sprint move to a higher price now that T-Mobile is out of the way. All the cheap options are gone, unless you want to go to Criket, and nobody is going to be doing that. AT&T and Verizon are very quickly monopolizing this market. Wouldn't be surprised to see SEC intervention within the next 5 years.

 

[Martin030908]

isn't this buyout/merger still subject to regulatory approval?

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[funkyb]

NPR was reporting a Sprint and tmobile were in talks on Monday.

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