AT&T chief takes blame for botched T-Mobile acquisition

Anyone who followed AT&T’s (T) failed attempt to merge with T-Mobile knows that the carrier made some critical mistakes in the public relations department. And now FierceWireless reports that AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has admitted that his company could have done a much better job of convincing regulators that the proposed merger wasn’t a competitive threat to the wireless landscape. While Stephenson insisted that the merger wasn’t a “bad decision,” he said “it was a decision that didn’t go the way I wanted” and “we didn’t execute well.” Ever since the merger collapsed, T-Mobile has acquired enough mobile spectrum to deploy its own LTE network and has announced its intention to merge with bargain carrier MetroPCS, so it seems that the company has fared pretty well even without the AT&T deal.