AT&T: T-Mobile acquisition on schedule for March 2012 approval

By on Jun 22, 2011 at 4:15 PM
Business June 22, 2011

Speaking to reporters recently, AT&T’s General Counsel Wayne Watts said that AT&T’s planned $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile is still on schedule for approval in March of next year. “The number one question I get from investors is can we get [the deal] done,” Watt explained.  “I think we can.” Sprint, one of the deal’s most outspoken opponents, has argued that AT&T does not need to purchase T-Mobile in order to increase its network capacity, and that the deal would “stifle innovation” in the U.S. wireless market. T-Mobile’s senior vice president of government affairs, Tom Sugure, responded to Sprint and other opponents on Tuesday, noting that each has “failed to offer any credible arguments to support their view that the Commission should deny the transaction.”

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GP2WYAHXS6CRUREISWBGPUSUGE Michael

    April of 2012 will be record months for Sprint and Verizon.

    • http://profiles.google.com/andreacmaietta Andrea Maietta

      yea right just like the iphone on verizon was gonna destroy AT&T subscribers you haters are so childish

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GP2WYAHXS6CRUREISWBGPUSUGE Michael

        Dude i’m not hating on any phones. or on any devices.

        I’m just saying that when/if T-Mobile gets bought out by AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will have record months. Most likely the months following the buy out.

        I know for my self i will not stick with AT&T if they even attempt to change my plan, in any way shape fashion or form. I’m not dealing with it. Sprint or VZW will take my money just as they will. The only difference is i will get better service, better phones, and won’t be limited to a good Motorola Android phone, a so so Samsung Android phone or the Jesus phone.

      • Androider

        Because they won’t make you change your plan. Verizon will now be more expensive than att. Sprint isn’t bad but in some areas there coverage lacks and sho does their speeds

      • Anonymous

        You make nothing resembling a statement backing up your claim that Sprint and Verizon are going to have ‘record months’ after the merger is (rightfully) completed.

        T-Mobile has been bleeding customers for many months now, it’s either they sell to a competitor or go bankrupt – you choose.  And AT&T is not going to force you to change your plan. Now, if you want a new phone, at that point you will likely need to choose a new plan, but until then, have at it.

        Oh, keep in mind, your ridiculously low plan is what drove T-mobile bankrupt in the first place, so if you want to cancel I’m sure they won’t miss your tiny amount you pay each month anyways.

        One more thing, you aren’t an AT&T customer so you aren’t qualified to speak to the different phones they carry…might want to save that editorializing AFTER you have used their phones.

      • Anonymous

        You know he’s right. And it won’t be At&t subscribers moving along. It will be the T-mobile customers that just realized that their cheap plans will soon evaporate into thin Air. I think Sprint will reap the majority of the benefits.

      • Jon

        If that were the case sprint wouldn’t be shaking in their boots trying to stop it. I’ll keep my other thoughts to myself as people would only make baseless arguments as I would expect from the internet.

      • http://twitter.com/derrickisonline Derrick -Lex-

        Why does everything always come back to the goddamn iPhone.

    • Anonymous

      Just like we were going to see record months at Verizon after they got the iPhone?

    • Anonymous

      most likely he is right… Usually when mergers happen or Spectrum is bought aren’t companies forced to divest a decent portion? Verizion picking up alltel required them to divest a good chunk of area didn’t it?

  • Anonymous

    The end is near…

  • Anonymous

    I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.

    I know it’s trite, but… it’s also so fitting.

  • Jostajtf

    AT&T = Devil

  • Barnes305

    With respect to everyone’s cpmments the problem is that if att successfully get the merger, guess whos next 
    Verizon;Sprint……  Initially Sprint  will get a boat load of nw subscribers..

  • 007

    Seriously FCC is going to approve this deal???????

    Higher education is so over rated….

    Our government is full of DUMB F@#$%S…

    • Anonymous

      It’s not the government’s job to stifle business….maybe its you who should go back to school?

      • jay_max

        Maybe you’re the one who should go back to school and study, in particular, antitrust law.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ICESDVAFCDQZSJ4D5ENCTMHIEQ Lola Montoya

    “I think we can.” :) @JamesB, I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, LiveCent. com

  • http://www.twitter.com/jpartain89 Justin Partain

    I’m really tired of you guys not showing AT&Ts real headquaters, which is in downtown Dallas. Its frustrating as a dallasite

  • bgr’ish

    AT&T = I bought three phones ranked very high for reception (high end Nokia’s) and still had horrible call quality at home.
    T-Mobile = I bought a $20 prepaid phone, just to test. It was perfect clear and no drops.
    I switched to T-Mobile.

  • Dragon

    This merger will be a great thing for Sprint eventually. Initially ATT will most likely grandfather those T-Mobile customers for a year or so. Once that ends the price-point customers will migrate to Sprint.

    So Sprint will have made two massive gains:
    1. Large influx of new customers for free.
    2. Removal of their primary competition in the price-point major carriers realm.

    This second point means they can moderately raise their prices across the board generating significantly more revenue and still be at a much better price point than Verizon and ATT.

    This money can be used to build out their network when and how it is most beneficial to them.

    Had Sprint’s purchase of T-Mobile happe Ed, they would have gotten a good price, but been strapped for cash, crippled wih instant-reworking of the GSM network to CDMA and ticked off T-Mobile customers that would need to buy new phones. The T-Mo customers would have seen them as the bad guys.

    With ATT buying T-Mobile, those customers will see Sprint as the good guy. The biggest winners here will be Sprint and ATT. Sprint gets the customers without paying a penny and loses it’s nearest competitor bumping up re enues considerably. ATT gets the spectrum to build out a ro ust LTE solution and the GSM towers/transponders to quickly fill out it’s coverage problems.

    The biggest losers are Verizon and the minor/regional carriers, who now fall farther behind the suddenly financially stable Sprint.

    Sprint was in a precarious position financially prior to T-Mo putting up the white flag. Now, their heartbeat looks to be stronger.

    • Anonymous

      Good points, but if they had just not made their blunder with Clearwire.  Lets hope they get their 4g issues fixed

  • Drew

    Of course you’re gonna tell your investors, “.. you’re still on schedule for approval…”. Lying fucks!! Just like you don’t have enough spectrum to roll out LTE and handsets that are actually 4G. My thoughts are still the same as they were when you bought Cingular back… Go fuck yourselves!!

    • Dragon

      Actually, ATT didn’t buy Cingular. Cingular bought the ATT name and rebranded itself with the far more recognizable ATT brand name. It’s the same old Cingular that you dislike today.

      But you are right about them getting together again, because Cingular was a joint effort mobile effort of former Baby Bells SBC, BellSouth and others … so Cingular and Att were indeed a reforming of the old Ma Bell system.

      • Anonymous

        Then again vzw iu’s a joint venture between baby bells

    • Dan I

      They didn’t buy Cingular. 

  • JMD

    Hmm, this is probably going t be good for those with AT&T phones with HSPA+ radios!  As it stands now,…AT&T’s 4G rated phones are in desparate need for a decent network!  I’m currently test driving a Moto Atrix (had it for 2 days now),…and it is a fast puppy!  It just needs a network worthy of it’s embedded speed capabilities.

      JMD

  • Anonymous

    just don’t screw us nemore than u have AT&T and we’ll be fine. T-Mobile has been pretty trashy for me for yrs now.

  • Anonymous

    if DoJ and FCC approved this deal.. Sugar coating will be define in a whole different level.

  • Anonymous

    Randall Stephenson is a greedy fucker who could give two shits less about the customer. 

    Renee Oberman sold us out. And Phillip Humm and the executive team put a lampshade over our eyes. I’m sorry but its true. We had customers coming into our store within an hour of the buyout being announced. Two hours later, the company finally sends out an email to its own employees announcing it. For a company which its employees are loyal to and proud, it’s a huge slap in the face. Not to mention the 20 something calls I recieved in one day from pissed off customers wanting to cancel because of AT&T. They have a terrible reputation for a reason, they don’t care.

    What T-Mobile needs:

     A new marketing department (Get rid of the MyTouch line)

    Catherine Zeta Jones (She has that MILF factor), 

    The iphone. It’s pretty much legendary and its going nowhere anytime soon. It’s the only reason AT&T is alive. 

    Get rid of the MyTouch line. (It’s childish)

    Solid Android devices: We should have released something like the Sensation last year like Sprint did with the Evo. But we relaese it after the Aspire, Thunderbolt, and Evo. 

    Stop being late to the game. See above.

    • Anonymous

      I agree with your comments, but it is too late to save the company. As a former T-Mobile employee I am saddened to see the demise of a company that was innovative, growing and a great place to work. What doomed T-Mobile was when they stopped promoting the internal people that knew what they were doing and started a policy of bringing in industry outsiders and let them make decisions that they were not qualified to make. These outsiders had no respect for the people that were there from the beginning and helped the company grow. They eliminated their experienced managers, sales representatives, customer service people and engineers. They wasted millions of dollars on products and services that went nowhere. The marketing department was clueless. They refused to market products and services to the corporate customer. Instead they focused all marketing dollars to attract the younger customer (hence the nickname “Teen-Mobile”). Employees were treated very well and turnover was low. T-Mobile did an annual Employee Satisfaction Survey and took the results seriously. Every office had a banner with the slogan ”Make This The Best Place To Work”. However, once the economy turned bad the company started treating their employees like disposible items. The Employee Satisfaction Surverys were eliminated. People were fired for little or no reason at all. Anyone who complained about the way they were being treated was told that they “were lucky to have a job” and that there were “hundreds of people lined up to take your place if you don’t like it here”.

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