Sprint announced that it was suing AT&T in an effort to block its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA on Tuesday morning. Later in the day AT&T issued the following statement in response to the suit:
This simply demonstrates what we’ve said all along – Sprint is more interested in protecting itself than it is in promoting competition that benefits consumers. We of course will vigorously contest this matter in court as AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile USA will: help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions; allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population; and result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.
On August 31st, the Department of Justice filed a related lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger. On the same day, AT&T responded to the DOJ suit and said that its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA is in the best interest of consumers and “the facts will prevail in court.”
