Editorials

It's official: the AT&T and T-Mobile merger is off

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Thank goodness! Today is probably one of the greatest days in the history of the cellular network: AT&T has announced that its proposed merger with T-Mobile is off. 

Here's the statement directly from AT&T itself: 

"The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled."

In other words, AT&T is incredibly angry. 

The carrier will have to pay T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, $4 billion as a breakup fee, and both T-Mobile and AT&T will have to let AT&T- and T-Mobile-branded devices work on each others' networks. 

I've been incredibly worried that this deal might actually go through, but now that AT&T won't have control over T-Mobile while still having to let devices run on both networks should drive prices way down and enhance network reliability for everyone.

[The Verge | WSJ]
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Calob Horton

Calob Horton is an associate editor at Pocketables. He loves all technology, no matter which company it comes from. This unbiased view of the tech world allows him to choose the products that best fit his personal needs and tastes: a Microsoft Surface Pro, a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and a third-gen iPad.Google+ | Twitter | More posts by Calob | Subscribe to Calob's posts

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