The merger will lead to less competition and worse service for us:
fightthemerger.com
What if I actually support the merger? Is there a "supportthemerger.com" website around?
Honestly, much as I'm against big businesses lumping together into super-goliath monsters... I think AT&T will actually benefit greatly from a T-Mobile merger. Mostly because they'll have lots more spectrum for LTE than any of the competition.
More spectrum = better coverage & better throughput.
What's wrong with that?
+1 most captivate users have AT&T. We are the "winners" rofl
no thanks
It's really a win-win
TMo customers get better coverage, and ATT customers get more 4G.
Shammyh said:
What if I actually support the merger? Is there a "supportthemerger.com" website around?
Honestly, much as I'm against big businesses lumping together into super-goliath monsters... I think AT&T will actually benefit greatly from a T-Mobile merger. Mostly because they'll have lots more spectrum for LTE than any of the competition.
More spectrum = better coverage & better throughput.
What's wrong with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good point and I would agree if there were market pressure to push AT&T to utilize the bandwith, but they only have incentive to elliminate competition or improve service just enough, they have no reason to max out benefits to us users beyond what they need to avoid threat of us leaving for greener pastures...
Shammyh said:
What if I actually support the merger? Is there a "supportthemerger.com" website around?
Honestly, much as I'm against big businesses lumping together into super-goliath monsters... I think AT&T will actually benefit greatly from a T-Mobile merger. Mostly because they'll have lots more spectrum for LTE than any of the competition.
More spectrum = better coverage & better throughput.
What's wrong with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, yeah, AT&T will benefit from it... why else would they even pursue the acquisition? I don't care if they benefit or not, I care about protecting the consumer, and any merger of this magnitude does not have the consumer's best interests at heart.
While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I firmly believe that the merger is bad news for consumers across the board. There are several reasons why, but here are five easy ones.
1. AT&T claims that this merger will create American jobs and increase investment. Sure, it might create new jobs, but more than 20,000 T-Mobile workers are expected to loose their jobs so AT&T can achieve post-merger "synergies." AT&T insists that this takeover is good for American workers because some of T-Mobile's employees will now be free to unionize. This is a benefit for those lucky enough to survive post-merger integration, but it doesn't offset the harm to the 20,000 other T-Mobile workers whom AT&T will fire. And despite AT&T's claims that it will increase investment, the company has told Wall Street it plans to cut investment by $10 billion if the deal goes through.
2. AT&T says that the elimination of T-Mobile as a competitor doesn't matter because most Americans still have other providers to choose from. In actuality this merger will give AT&T and Verizon 80 percent of the market, and no other carrier has the spectrum or other advantages of these giants. In any other industry, this much concentration between two companies would be unthinkable. The top two "too big to fail" U.S. banks collectively control only 20 percent of the U.S. market. In the wireless sector, smaller companies already struggle against AT&T and Verizon's dominance, and this merger will only make it harder for them to compete.
3. AT&T claims that this merger will not increase prices. However, AT&T uses misleading data to claim that post mergers led to price declines. But the facts show that consumers' monthly bills have increased even as wireless carriers' own costs to offer services have dropped sharply. The truth is that mobile data users are paying more for wireless services as the market has consolidated, and AT&T and Verizon's elimination of unlimited data plans will only exacerbate this trend. Voice services are not getting cheaper, either, because carriers are forcing customers to buy more minutes than they will use. Indeed, the data AT&T uses to justify its claim of declining prices actually show that the per minute price of a cellphone call has declined, but this hides the fact that the total amount customers pay each month has increased even as carriers' costs have decreased. AT&T told Wall Street that it will increase the revenue it extracts from T-Mobile customers. The loss of a competitor means all consumers will see higher prices.
4. AT&T says this merger is necessary to ensure rural Americans have access to next-generation mobile Internet, when, even if the deal is blocked, 97% of Americans will have 4G services available from at least two carriers by 2014. AT&T told the FCC it would deploy 4G "HSPA+" services to 97 percent of the country even if the merger were blocked. Verizon's entire network will be 4G "LTE" capable by 2014. There is not a single American who needs this merger to get 4G mobile services. AT&T now says it will stop its 4G "LTE" deployment at just 80 percent of the country. But would AT&T really cede this marketing advantage to Verizon? Of course not. It will make the minimal investment needed to have an all-LTE network even if the merger is blocked.
5. AT&T claims that this merger is necessary to alleviate congestion on their network. Actually, AT&T's claim of capacity issues is a sham, because the company has vast spectrum holdings it doesn't even use. The notion that AT&T must acquire T-Mobile to relieve network congestion is baseless, given that it is the only national wireless carrier that isn't using its next-generation spectrum holdings. AT&T's quality issues are not the result of shortage of spectrum, but of its own failure to make timely network investments. Instead of competing fairly in the free market, AT&T is asking the government to help it acquire more spectrum by killing off a competitor.
cajunflavoredbob said:
While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I firmly believe that the merger is bad news for consumers across the board. There are several reasons why, but here are five easy ones.
1. AT&T claims that this merger will create American jobs and increase investment. Sure, it might create new jobs, but more than 20,000 T-Mobile workers are expected to loose their jobs so AT&T can achieve post-merger "synergies." AT&T insists that this takeover is good for American workers because some of T-Mobile's employees will now be free to unionize. This is a benefit for those lucky enough to survive post-merger integration, but it doesn't offset the harm to the 20,000 other T-Mobile workers whom AT&T will fire. And despite AT&T's claims that it will increase investment, the company has told Wall Street it plans to cut investment by $10 billion if the deal goes through.
2. AT&T says that the elimination of T-Mobile as a competitor doesn't matter because most Americans still have other providers to choose from. In actuality this merger will give AT&T and Verizon 80 percent of the market, and no other carrier has the spectrum or other advantages of these giants. In any other industry, this much concentration between two companies would be unthinkable. The top two "too big to fail" U.S. banks collectively control only 20 percent of the U.S. market. In the wireless sector, smaller companies already struggle against AT&T and Verizon's dominance, and this merger will only make it harder for them to compete.
3. AT&T claims that this merger will not increase prices. However, AT&T uses misleading data to claim that post mergers led to price declines. But the facts show that consumers' monthly bills have increased even as wireless carriers' own costs to offer services have dropped sharply. The truth is that mobile data users are paying more for wireless services as the market has consolidated, and AT&T and Verizon's elimination of unlimited data plans will only exacerbate this trend. Voice services are not getting cheaper, either, because carriers are forcing customers to buy more minutes than they will use. Indeed, the data AT&T uses to justify its claim of declining prices actually show that the per minute price of a cellphone call has declined, but this hides the fact that the total amount customers pay each month has increased even as carriers' costs have decreased. AT&T told Wall Street that it will increase the revenue it extracts from T-Mobile customers. The loss of a competitor means all consumers will see higher prices.
4. AT&T says this merger is necessary to ensure rural Americans have access to next-generation mobile Internet, when, even if the deal is blocked, 97% of Americans will have 4G services available from at least two carriers by 2014. AT&T told the FCC it would deploy 4G "HSPA+" services to 97 percent of the country even if the merger were blocked. Verizon's entire network will be 4G "LTE" capable by 2014. There is not a single American who needs this merger to get 4G mobile services. AT&T now says it will stop its 4G "LTE" deployment at just 80 percent of the country. But would AT&T really cede this marketing advantage to Verizon? Of course not. It will make the minimal investment needed to have an all-LTE network even if the merger is blocked.
5. AT&T claims that this merger is necessary to alleviate congestion on their network. Actually, AT&T's claim of capacity issues is a sham, because the company has vast spectrum holdings it doesn't even use. The notion that AT&T must acquire T-Mobile to relieve network congestion is baseless, given that it is the only national wireless carrier that isn't using its next-generation spectrum holdings. AT&T's quality issues are not the result of shortage of spectrum, but of its own failure to make timely network investments. Instead of competing fairly in the free market, AT&T is asking the government to help it acquire more spectrum by killing off a competitor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great post!
I pretty much agree with bleach168. But I do think coverage will generally be better for both AT&T and T-Mobile users. For example, once the merger was announced, suddenly my T-Mobile phone worked on AT&T in rual areas it never did before. No doubt as demonstration to officials of the advantages of merging networks. But simple roaming agreements could have done the same without a merger looming.
Of course any service improvements will come at a price. The merger is much more about making money than better service. Loss of competition will hurt. T-Mobile customers will certainly pay more, and likely so will AT&T users.
So today I signed up for 2 lines of T-Mo's unlimited talk, text & data for $49.99 each. Too good to pass up. And hopefully I can stay grandfathered in with that after AT&T takes over.
From HTC G2 with xda premium.
joeybear23 said:
no thanks
It's really a win-win
TMo customers get better coverage, and ATT customers get more 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, I keep saying either 1 of 2 things can happen:
1: AT&T does merge with T-Mobile, AT&T will cripple the T-Mobile plans, services, and network.
or
2: AT&T does merge with T-Mobile, and AT&T leaves T-Mobile the way it is, just share the name, devices, and cell towers to make better coverage for both companies.
Kid Poker said:
Not really, I keep saying either 1 of 2 things can happen:
1: AT&T does merge with T-Mobile, AT&T will cripple the T-Mobile plans, services, and network.
or
2: AT&T does merge with T-Mobile, and AT&T leaves T-Mobile the way it is, just share the name, devices, and cell towers to make better coverage for both companies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did these things happen with either the AllTel or Cingular acquisitions? I remember both...
Or 3: AT&T doesn't merge with T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom pockets a cool $3 bn, kills T-Mobile anyway and butchers the corpse into little pieces and sells them to the highest bidder (likely AT&T).
Either way, AT&T and DT win, the consumers in America lose.
joeybear23 said:
Did these things happen with either the AllTel or Cingular acquisitions? I remember both...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember AllTel but I do remember Cingular
Kid Poker said:
I don't remember AllTel but I do remember Cingular
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, and neither one benefited consumers. Quality of service and pricing have increased sharply ever since then despite the fact that they originally told the customers the same crap that they're saying now about T-Mobile. I left Cingular after the buyout because the quality of service went down the toilet. I'm with T-Mobile to stay away from AT&T. They are an evil and greedy company.
Doomsday is coming as evil AT&T nears !!
joeybear23 said:
no thanks
It's really a win-win
TMo customers get better coverage, and ATT customers get more 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except for the fact att has the worst customer service on the planet. i swear the just pull people in off the street without training them and giving them a headset and off they go .....
As well as always trying to inflate the bill beit through some eroneous charge or otherwise. im really not looking foward to att Tmobile has always had great service and reception
I agree with CajunFlavoredBob. This merger (which is a misnomer it's actually an ACQUISITION!! ) will do absolutely nothing to make things better. AT&T customers will be subject to the same crap they have always dealt with, and T-Mo customers will have higher prices and crappier service ( I pay twenty dollars per line (3 lines) for 5GBs of unthrottled data...AT&T wants forty five dollars per line for 4GBs and it's NOT throttled after the 4GB limit, they charge overages!!!)...not to mention waiting ages for the next Nexus device. This is not a good thing. If you believe otherwise....well...keep drinking that kool-aid...you obviously like the way it tastes....
Babydoll25 said:
I agree with CajunFlavoredBob. This merger (which is a misnomer it's actually an ACQUISITION!! ) will do absolutely nothing to make things better. AT&T customers will be subject to the same crap they have always dealt with, and T-Mo customers will have higher prices and crappier service ( I pay twenty dollars per line (3 lines) for 5GBs of unthrottled data...AT&T wants forty five dollars per line for 4GBs and it's NOT throttled after the 4GB limit, they charge overages!!!)...not to mention waiting ages for the next Nexus device. This is not a good thing. If you believe otherwise....well...keep drinking that kool-aid...you obviously like the way it tastes....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't even get to mention pricing differences. lol
I only pay $50 a month for 1000 minutes ($30), unlimited text($10), and unlimited data + tethering($10). It's the same plan I've had for five years now.
Even still, new customers can sign up for nearly the same thing right now for only $80. A similar plan on AT&T is $100.
Shammyh said:
What if I actually support the merger? Is there a "supportthemerger.com" website around?
Honestly, much as I'm against big businesses lumping together into super-goliath monsters... I think AT&T will actually benefit greatly from a T-Mobile merger. Mostly because they'll have lots more spectrum for LTE than any of the competition.
More spectrum = better coverage & better throughput.
What's wrong with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How very naive.
1. At&t already own most of the spectrum across the states, in fact in the big radio spectrum auction of 2008, T-Mobile did'n't win a single auction whereas AT&T spent over $5bn on 300+ licences. This probably means that T-Mobile is actually leasing its bandwidth from another provider in the states (US Cellular).
2. If the buyout is successful, there is no reason to simulate competition between what will essentially be two fronts of the same company. AT&T being the bigger fish (and therefore having economy of scale advantages which mean more profit per customer) will either cripple T-Mobile's cheaper US service, or outright merge it with the main brand, removing all of T-Mobile's advantages in the process, eating it's market share, and phasing out it's price plans in favour of AT&T's more expensive ones.
3. Some people might wonder why you would buy a company just to cripple it, look no further than Microsoft to see the advantages of a market monopoly (and before you say Apple, look how much shares MSFT have in them, they make almost as much money off Apple as Apple do). The real reason AT wants T-mobile is twofold and nothing to do with the obvious....
One, AT&T owns all the spectrum it needs, T-Mobile is a Tier 2 internet provider (owning international network lines which means in basically owns all major internet pathways (which can easily transmit phone calls as well)), you do the math.
Two, T-Mobile is very big in the UK and some other non US territories, AT could profit from the familiarity by expanding outside the states under the T-Mobile brand.
Ultimately this buyout is nothing more than a Microsoft tactic. While there is great potential in it, unfortunately the potential is for the shareholders, not us. Even if the buyout does bring immense savings to the company, we will never see it, because they aren't savings that Verizon or any other competitors will share. AT&T only needs to stay at around the same pricing as them to be seen as competitive. Never will you see a mega-corporation lower prices just because they can and so nothing good will come of this merger for us.
Gen0 said:
How very naive.
1. At&t already own most of the spectrum across the states, in fact in the big radio spectrum auction of 2008, T-Mobile did'n't win a single auction whereas AT&T spent over $5bn on 300+ licences. This probably means that T-Mobile is actually leasing its bandwidth from another provider in the states (US Cellular).
2. If the buyout is successful, there is no reason to simulate competition between what will essentially be two fronts of the same company. AT&T being the bigger fish (and therefore having economy of scale advantages which mean more profit per customer) will either cripple T-Mobile's cheaper US service, or outright merge it with the main brand, removing all of T-Mobile's advantages in the process, eating it's market share, and phasing out it's price plans in favour of AT&T's more expensive ones.
3. Some people might wonder why you would buy a company just to cripple it, look no further than Microsoft to see the advantages of a market monopoly (and before you say Apple, look how much shares MSFT have in them, they make almost as much money off Apple as Apple do). The real reason AT wants T-mobile is twofold and nothing to do with the obvious....
One, AT&T owns all the spectrum it needs, T-Mobile is a Tier 2 internet provider (owning international network lines which means in basically owns all major internet pathways (which can easily transmit phone calls as well)), you do the math.
Two, T-Mobile is very big in the UK and some other non US territories, AT could profit from the familiarity by expanding outside the states under the T-Mobile brand.
Ultimately this buyout is nothing more than a Microsoft tactic. While there is great potential in it, unfortunately the potential is for the shareholders, not us. Even if the buyout does bring immense savings to the company, we will never see it, because they aren't savings that Verizon or any other competitors will share. AT&T only needs to stay at around the same pricing as them to be seen as competitive. Never will you see a mega-corporation lower prices just because they can and so nothing good will come of this merger for us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good points, but two things to clear up from this are that AT&T does not plan to retain the T-Mobile brand, pricing, or anything. It's an acquisition, not a merger, in very technical terms. The other thing is that AT&T is only gaining the US branch of T-Mobile, not anything overseas. The rest of the brand will still be retained by Deutsche Telecom. Therefore, AT&T would not be able to use the T-Mobile brand name anywhere outside the US. It wouldn't be a good market strategy for them to do so anyhow.
Related
On paper, Sprint and T-Mobile seem like complete opposites: Sprint has 4G, T-Mobile has "4G speeds" with HSPA+; Sprint is CDMA, T-Mobile is GSM; Sprint is yellow, T-Mobile is magenta. Ok, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch, but you get the point. Despite the glaring differences, a rumor has surfaced today stating that the two carriers may soon be in cahoots to finish building out Sprint's 4G network. Three people "familiar with the situation" have spoken to the Wall Street Journal, saying that Sprint's board of directors is considering allowing T-Mobile to invest in Clearwire, the company that is aiding Sprint with their WiMAX network (Sprint also owns 54 percent of Clearwire). Clearwire currently needs billions of dollars to finished expanding its 4G network, the WSJ says, and it needs to figure out if it will continue to soldier on alone or get some financial aid from T-Mobile. This isn't the first time we've heard the possibility of Sprint and T-Mobile teaming up and, if Clearwire and Sprint need as much cash as the WSJ says they do, it may not be the last time.
Although Sprint and T-Mobile could use each other to help bring the fight to AT&T and Verizon, I would be kind of surprised to the number three and four carriers come together. T-Mobile seems pretty invested in their HSPA+ network upgrades and, if they were to invest in WiMAX, their hot new HSPA+ phones would become kind of obsolete. It would, however, allow them to immediately have a 4G network available to some of its customers, so maybe the idea isn't so far-fetched. What do you think, readers? Will we soon be hearing about SprinT-Mobile?
source: http://www.phonedog.com/2010/09/03/rumor-sprint-and-t-mobile-may-team-up-to-complete-4g-network/
I'll believe it when I see it. Number three and number four? I agree with T being four in terms of network Sprint is #2 behind Verizon last I heard.
auau465121 said:
On paper, Sprint and T-Mobile seem like complete opposites: Sprint has 4G, T-Mobile has "4G speeds" with HSPA+; Sprint is CDMA, T-Mobile is GSM; Sprint is yellow, T-Mobile is magenta. Ok, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch, but you get the point. Despite the glaring differences, a rumor has surfaced today stating that the two carriers may soon be in cahoots to finish building out Sprint's 4G network. Three people "familiar with the situation" have spoken to the Wall Street Journal, saying that Sprint's board of directors is considering allowing T-Mobile to invest in Clearwire, the company that is aiding Sprint with their WiMAX network (Sprint also owns 54 percent of Clearwire). Clearwire currently needs billions of dollars to finished expanding its 4G network, the WSJ says, and it needs to figure out if it will continue to soldier on alone or get some financial aid from T-Mobile. This isn't the first time we've heard the possibility of Sprint and T-Mobile teaming up and, if Clearwire and Sprint need as much cash as the WSJ says they do, it may not be the last time.
Although Sprint and T-Mobile could use each other to help bring the fight to AT&T and Verizon, I would be kind of surprised to the number three and four carriers come together. T-Mobile seems pretty invested in their HSPA+ network upgrades and, if they were to invest in WiMAX, their hot new HSPA+ phones would become kind of obsolete. It would, however, allow them to immediately have a 4G network available to some of its customers, so maybe the idea isn't so far-fetched. What do you think, readers? Will we soon be hearing about SprinT-Mobile?
source: http://www.phonedog.com/2010/09/03/rumor-sprint-and-t-mobile-may-team-up-to-complete-4g-network/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last I read, Sprint is moving forward with LTE purchases. That opens talks again with T.
T will not move to wimax.
Bielinsk said:
Last I read, Sprint is moving forward with LTE purchases. That opens talks again with T.
T will not move to wimax.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that too... but HSPA+ is not LTE and neither are technically 4G. i dont really consider wimax to to be 4G either thou.
"An IMT-Advanced cellular system must have target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access, according to the ITU requirements. Scalable bandwidths up to at least 40 MHz should be provided."
I dont want a merger lol less competition equals more money from my pockets. There is plenty of competition right now though among the monthly plan companies keeping things low I guess.
Also it sounds like T-Mobile would be paying Sprint to help build 4G and T-Mobile would get in reward to use 4G. So... now we gotta share with T-Mobile. Also I bet if we start sharing we get capped. I mean currently 4G is uncapped mostly because there arnt a huge network of people using all of its resources.
twilk73 said:
I dont want a merger lol less competition equals more money from my pockets. There is plenty of competition right now though among the monthly plan companies keeping things low I guess.
Also it sounds like T-Mobile would be paying Sprint to help build 4G and T-Mobile would get in reward to use 4G. So... now we gotta share with T-Mobile. Also I bet if we start sharing we get capped. I mean currently 4G is uncapped mostly because there arnt a huge network of people using all of its resources.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite. The reason there aren't any worries with WiMax is because of the huge amounts of bandwidth Clearwire and Sprint have access to. The bandwidth combined with the shorter range of towers means that the network can handle a lot of people using the network at any given time. T-mobile is small enough, it shouldn't make a big enough difference. The bandwidth part won't change if they ever convert to LTE, so Clear and Sprint have the advantage right now due to having the only functioning 4G capable network and the ability to upgrade that network relatively effortlessly, and still have enough bandwidth to beat Verizon/everyone else.
I actually don't think this is a bad idea. If it would help expedite the expansion of the 4G network then onward and upward I say. For the amount of bandwidth that T-Mo would gain access to it would be a benefit to them. And maybe Sprint could get some pointers from T-Mo on customer service. Sprint has come a long way in that respect since we signed up, but I hear a lot of T customers swear by the service they get. All in all it sounds like it could have a win-win for both companies and the customers. Then again corporate America has an amazing penchant for screwing up what could otherwise be a good thing. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Rumor has been going around for quite some time - today was hardly the first mention of this in the media...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Pierceye said:
I actually don't think this is a bad idea. If it would help expedite the expansion of the 4G network then onward and upward I say. For the amount of bandwidth that T-Mo would gain access to it would be a benefit to them. And maybe Sprint could get some pointers from T-Mo on customer service. Sprint has come a long way in that respect since we signed up, but I hear a lot of T customers swear by the service they get. All in all it sounds like it could have a win-win for both companies and the customers. Then again corporate America has an amazing penchant for screwing up what could otherwise be a good thing. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would be right.my brother had/has nothing but great things to say about tmobile cs.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I wish they would team up so I could get my hands on a G2.
I've been a T-Mobile customer for seven or eight years now and have never regretted a moment of it. These people have always gone above and beyond to make me feel like I was worth something to them as a customer and a person. I haven't had to contact them often, but when I did, I always knew I would hang up the phone with a smile on my face. T-Mobile US has one of the best customer service departments in the world in terms of customer satisfaction. If I were planning to commit suicide, I would probably call T-Mobile, since I know they would be able to talk me down.
On the flip side of this is AT&T, with whom I've had some of the worst customer service and just service in general in all of my life. I started out with my first cellular device through Cingular Wireless. I wouldn't say they were the best service (they were far from it), but most of my friends and family were on the network and it was in the early days of the talk for free within the network deals. AT&T came along a few years later and ruined any creditability Cingular Wireless had provided me. When the networks in my area finally were updated to EDGE through AT&T, I immediately began having problems with dropped calls and spastic data rates. Calling to complain about this service garnered me a generic response from them along the lines of "What do you want me to do about it?" The customer should not be the one who suggests that the cellular connection to the tower needs to be reset.
After a full year of waiting out my contract and the remainder of my patience with them, I began searching for an alternative solution. I narrowed down my list to All-Tel and T-Mobile for their outstanding customer service. T-Mobile won me over, since, at the time, I was using my HP iPAQ hw6945 (HTC Sable), and needed a GSM network. Since that day, I have constantly raved about their phenomenal customer service, support and network speed. I was also blown away by their astonishingly competitive pricing.
I am currently paying the same $50 for service that I was when I signed up initially. I have a plan consisting of 1000 minutes a month (unlimited for me), unlimited text, and unlimited data ($30+$10+$10). This data plan also includes tethering for free. I haven't been under a contract with them since the first year I was with them, as it was required. I have never been hassled about updating my terms of service, or anything of the sort. It has been one completely happy ride other than the spotty 3G coverage which has been growing rapidly.
With all of this considered, I must say that I am completely shocked and appalled that the company is being sold off to the only other GSM network in the country with a national footprint: AT&T. Though the transaction isn't completely finalized yet, I see no reason why the FCC would oppose this as the also let Verizon's "Net Neutrality" rules pass, even though they were completely one-sided.
Other than customer service from AT&T (or lack thereof, rather), this also presents yet another problem for the customers of T-Mobile: 4G. We will now be set to move into AT&T's field of using LTE instead of HSPA+ or WiMax for our 4G coverage. For those of you who don't already know, LTE is not the happy trail to the Internet you may think.
The LTE standard was designed with carriers in mind, not consumers. This means that the format allows carriers to control the content they show you. You will begin seeing tiered data plans with access to partial content coming soon as the networks expand. For example, if you decide to get the cheapest data plan, you will not only be limited in maximum data caps, but also certain things like YouTube may be filtered out of your service because you would have to pay extra for it. AT&T and Verizon have already come out and said that this will happen with services like Skype and YouTube. WiMax does none of this as it was intended to be an open format set up with end users in mind. HSPA+ simply doesn't support the concept.
Am I the only one concerned here? I think if this does go through, I'll be booking it over the Sprint. I am not fond of CDMA networks, but it's FAR better than the alternative.
Sources:
Lots of good LTE vs. WiMax links in this thread
AT&T/T-Mobile US acquisition details
AT&T is taking over T- Mobile.
Well said Cajunflavoredbob. I went through similar experiences that you speak of. Like I said in another thread, after AT&T stuck me hard, I vowed never to give them my business again. Now after hearing this news, I will end up eating my own words!
I have the Touch Pro2 (T-mobile brand) and I really like this phone, especially after the modified ROMs here on this site. I have no intention to get another phone. So now I have to wait until this deal gets finalized and then determine if keeping this phone is worth going through the headaches with AT&T all over again.
All plans will be grandfathered. Also better service coverage too, so I don't think it will be so bad. I hope we can use At&t frequency phones on a T-Mobile service.
We have so many threads about this topic.
Androidboy35961 said:
We have so many threads about this topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to share which ones? I looked through this forum and hadn't found a single one talking about the acquisition. If I had, then I wouldn't have started this thread. If there are threads about it in other areas of the site, then there isn't much I can do about that as those threads would be in the wrong place. This thread was started to allow open general discussion of the subject. Obviously, if threads you may be referring to are in device specific forums, then not everyone is going to see them.
I don't know much about the world of mergers except I read that this one will take at least 12 months. Is this a done deal? Or is there something sufficiently monopolistic about it that could run into legal troubles?
Jake
jakfish said:
I don't know much about the world of mergers except I read that this one will take at least 12 months. Is this a done deal? Or is there something sufficiently monopolistic about it that could run into legal troubles?
Jake
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The deal could take up to a year to finalize if it is allowed. This acquisition would make AT&T the only nation wide GSM carrier. AT&T is also looking to acquire more radio spectrum from Qualcomm who had those FloTV things for a while that bombed. It still has a lot of red tape to go through, but, honestly, I doubt that it will run into much opposition unfortunately. The other downside to this is that we now know that DT is looking to offload T-Mobile US to the highest bidder. Before this, there was a rumor about Sprint trying to acquire the company. I doubt Sprint can afford the price tag on T-Mobile now that AT&T has set the bar. It is a loose-loose situation for T-Mobile customers. No matter what happens, Big Daddy is still putting up TMoUS for sale. The question now becomes, who will get it in the end?
if this goes through im going to Sprint because i hate AT&T AND dont like the idea of youtube being a premium service on Verizon. but isnt this deal like monopoly. i doubt the US government will allow this too happen without some legal troubles and a lot of money being payed to the government.
The only positive things I can see out of this, are that a) it's a true gsm marriage, which continues to maintain a world flavor to the phone and b) AT&T will have boatload of different bands: 1700, 2100, and whatever AT&T uses. That should free up 4G considerably.
Had T-Mobile and Sprint gotten together, I just can't see the CDMA-GSM thing. What were they going to use, half a sim card?
But I'm old enough to remember the bad AT&T days and can't feel that these will be any better.
Jake
AT&T is not that bad..lol
I have been with T-mobile since the company was Voicestream... Im hurt to see DT sell us out like this I hope google will outbid AT&T because I dont like any of the other cellular providers.
Androidboy35961 said:
AT&T is not that bad..lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am very glad to hear someone speak well of AT&T, because my personal experience has not been good. I am convinced that CFB is dead-on with his assessment about why they purchased T-Mobile (his LTE argument). This is NOT even remotely good for the consumer.
I know only one person who has been happy with Sprint (out of dozens), but they seem to be the least restrictive which may force me to give them another try. But they'll probably have the same indoor reception issues Verizon has - CDMA doesn't penetrate walls as well as GSM does. It's kind of funny: we have two groups of people huddled outside the office doors - smokers and Verizons customers.
FWIW:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03...es-but-will-consumers-see-the-benefit/?hpt=T2
jakfish said:
FWIW:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03...es-but-will-consumers-see-the-benefit/?hpt=T2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read that this morning before leaving for work. It doesn't help to ease my tensions about the acquisition.
Given that it's a Republican, hence laissez faire, House, I can't see them stopping this merger, but the initial political chatter is very much against it. That could be nothing more than posturing for constituents, but for AT&T to take over 80% of the mobile market in one fell swoop, politicians are really going to have to look the other way.
They often do, however,
Jake
. The question now becomes said:
Well stated, and an apt analogy! That is as well the conundrum of the new prisoners at the state prison...
ATT will play the part of Bubba perfectly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everybody needs to take a deep, deep breath and calm down. We're a two cellular carrier household; T-Mobile and AT&T. According to T-Mobile at their home page they addressed several questions one being our current devices and plans and they said they will honor them. For many of us who have been with T-Mobile for example were with two other companies in the SE USA - PowerTel and VoiceStream. It was no secret Deutsch TeleComm had been shopping T-Mobile USA around for quite some time and their statement reflects they will be concentrating with their business in the countries of Germany and other European countries. Current trends suggest AT&T has a 50-50 chance at obtaining T-Mobile USA; however their lobby in Washington is strong and there has been no hint from the Obama administration to curtail this merger as other big name mergers have yet to be turned down. There will be stipulations and this will be watched very carefully. Judging my the speed which this has moved in the past two days, much of the legwork prior to announcement seems to had been done well in advance. Whether we like it or not; we're at the whelm of these companies and they are going to do what is in their best interest and we're all along for the ride; we have a choice whether we like it or not, it's whether there are enough of us after the two companies merge.
jakfish said:
Given that it's a Republican, hence laissez faire, House, I can't see them stopping this merger, but the initial political chatter is very much against it. That could be nothing more than posturing for constituents, but for AT&T to take over 80% of the mobile market in one fell swoop, politicians are really going to have to look the other way.
They often do, however,
Jake
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It actually not on the Republicans this time. Democrats are the ones fighting for a nation-wide broadband network. This merger would be the basis for that goal. Our president has outlined this several times before. I would not be surprised in the least if AT&T becomes a monopoly...again. It's not that they would look the other way, it's more about will they allow it to happen to further their goal? I'm all for a national broadband infrastructure, but AT&T is NOT the way to achieve that.
SnittyKitty said:
Everybody needs to take a deep, deep breath and calm down. We're a two cellular carrier household; T-Mobile and AT&T. According to T-Mobile at their home page they addressed several questions one being our current devices and plans and they said they will honor them. For many of us who have been with T-Mobile for example were with two other companies in the SE USA - PowerTel and VoiceStream. It was no secret Deutsch TeleComm had been shopping T-Mobile USA around for quite some time and their statement reflects they will be concentrating with their business in the countries of Germany and other European countries. Current trends suggest AT&T has a 50-50 chance at obtaining T-Mobile USA; however their lobby in Washington is strong and there has been no hint from the Obama administration to curtail this merger as other big name mergers have yet to be turned down. There will be stipulations and this will be watched very carefully. Judging my the speed which this has moved in the past two days, much of the legwork prior to announcement seems to had been done well in advance. Whether we like it or not; we're at the whelm of these companies and they are going to do what is in their best interest and we're all along for the ride; we have a choice whether we like it or not, it's whether there are enough of us after the two companies merge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, more than anything, this is a financial move for DT. They get a payout no matter what happens. If the merger goes through, they will get an 8% stake in AT&T as well as a DT board member on AT&T's board of directors. Even if the deal falls through by some chance, T-Mobile gets $3 billion, a roaming agreement, and a hefty chunk of spectrum for AT&T, just for doing nothing. Either way, DT wins. No matter what, T-Mobile customers loose.
I know many of you T-mobile fans don't want to see the merger between AT&T and T-mobile. I agree with you also. As of yesterday, the battle have begun as favoring and opposing parties present their cases to the Senate. Read about it at the link below. It's very interesting!
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Spectrum-AT-T-T-Mobile-Sprint-Congress,news-11247.html
I'm all for the merger. It will enable AT&T to provide much better and faster data service.
I'm against the merger, at&t has bandwidth they are warehousing, they don't need t-mobile they only want to save themselves 2-3 years of utilizing that bandwidth
i'm against; it will open the door for big red to buy sprint, thus creating a duopoly which will stagnate innovation and increase prices for us, the end consumers as we will have but 1 option.. or the other.
choice is king, which is why obamacare sucks.. i'm free to choose whatever the hell i want, and that will keep companies offering services to be beggin me, not me beggin them..
wdkingery said:
i'm against; it will open the door for big red to buy sprint, thus creating a duopoly which will stagnate innovation and increase prices for us, the end consumers as we will have but 1 option.. or the other.
choice is king, which is why obamacare sucks.. i'm free to choose whatever the hell i want, and that will keep companies offering services to be beggin me, not me beggin them..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome post. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Down with At&t. Had them before, and all I experienced was terrible customer service with non-competitive prices.
Well I'm against also. It just makes one big uncaring monopoly for GSM users. In my area in Michigan T-mobile had HSPA almost 2 years ago, AT&T promised it for three years and finally rolled it out on April 1st this year. In rural areas coverage is about equal and they still have yet to upgrade beyond GPRS. So it's still a big thing to debate. Realistically only the top 5% of the most populated areas of the US are covered my mobile broadband.
At&T's recent acquisition of Centennial Wireless shows what they are up to, No Good!!! They have mediocre roll-out of mobile data upgrades and crappier prices. Even Sprint upgraded their networks to EVDO rev. A in 2008. I'm still waiting for AT&T's EDGE roll-out.
The only one that benefits from such a merger are the shareholders and the CEO's who will receive millions in compensation while the consumers will get less options, and higher prices.
I see things everyday about Iphones in NYC that are well below edge speed on AT&T's supposedly high speed 3g network and who really wants to pay $80-100 per month for the convenience of 2GB of data per month on the unlimited talk plan $70 voice+$25 for data.
Want to see something funny....
DataConnect 3G plans for 3G Laptop, 3G Laptop Connect Cards and 3G / 4G Mobile Hotspots
Data Monthly Cost AT&T Wi-Fi Access Domestic Overage Fees
DataConnect 3GB HotSpot $35.00 $10.00 per 1 GB
DataConnect 5 GB $60.00 $0.05 per 1 MB
So the cheaper 3GB plan overages are $10/GB yet the more expensive 5GB plan it is $50/GB. How do they figure?
Enough ranting about price but seriously we need more competition not less.
I hope this deal gets trashed.
Sent from my Incredible with the XDA Premium App.
I'm against the merger with "iphonie at&t"!
landoftheeskimos said:
Well I'm against also. It just makes one big uncaring monopoly for GSM users. In my area in Michigan T-mobile had HSPA almost 2 years ago, AT&T promised it for three years and finally rolled it out on April 1st this year. In rural areas coverage is about equal and they still have yet to upgrade beyond GPRS. So it's still a big thing to debate. Realistically only the top 5% of the most populated areas of the US are covered my mobile broadband.
At&T's recent acquisition of Centennial Wireless shows what they are up to, No Good!!! They have mediocre roll-out of mobile data upgrades and crappier prices. Even Sprint upgraded their networks to EVDO rev. A in 2008. I'm still waiting for AT&T's EDGE roll-out.
The only one that benefits from such a merger are the shareholders and the CEO's who will receive millions in compensation while the consumers will get less options, and higher prices.
I see things everyday about Iphones in NYC that are well below edge speed on AT&T's supposedly high speed 3g network and who really wants to pay $80-100 per month for the convenience of 2GB of data per month on the unlimited talk plan $70 voice+$25 for data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said! I've couldn't agree more! This is AT&T attempt to take over the country. Like you said, only the high executives are benefiting from this merger while the consumers will suffer from it. Consumers will shed more money out of their pockets, only to end up putting more money in these high executives' pockets to satisfy their greed. In my book, this is a crime! Taking from the poor to get more richer!! What a damn shame!!!
wdkingery said:
i'm against; it will open the door for big red to buy sprint, thus creating a duopoly which will stagnate innovation and increase prices for us, the end consumers as we will have but 1 option.. or the other.
choice is king, which is why obamacare sucks.. i'm free to choose whatever the hell i want, and that will keep companies offering services to be beggin me, not me beggin them..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed.....10ct
Anyone opposed to this should sign THIS PETITION
and share it on your other forums, Facebook, etc. also feel free to post in OP.
From the site:
If approved, there will be a virtual duopoly for mobile phone service -- with AT&T and Verizon controlling 80% of the market. It's one of the largest proposed "mergers" in years -- and the biggest potential anti-trust case of the Obama administration.
Make no mistake, AT&T taking over T-Mobile would be a disaster for all mobile phone users -- not just T-Mobile customers. AT&T has a history censoring content and blocking phone features it doesn't like. The proposed takeover would lead to higher prices and stifle choice and innovation in the marketplace.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely against this, considering what few GSM carriers we have here in the states. As far as a merger ever benefiting the consumers, this is At&t we're talking about here, the only reason their doing this is to remove a thorn in their side. It removes your options and forces you to eat price hikes because they know you have no choices. At&t also tiers their data, nerfs Android phones along with a slew of other things (regarding landline). T-Mobile should hope it fails take their 6 Billion and give At&t and Verizon a real run for their money. That would benefit consumers more.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-31/u-s-files-antitrust-complaint-to-block-proposed-at-t-t-mobile-merger.html
Really hope that this anti-trust deal is upheld.
http://www.todaysiphone.com/2011/08/attt-mobile-merger-blocked-by-us-government/
Good
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Block AT&T's Acquisition of T-Mobile Official Press Release.
Transaction Would Reduce Competition in Mobile Wireless Telecommunications Services, Resulting in Higher Prices, Poorer Quality Services, Fewer Choices and Fewer Innovative Products for Millions of American Consumers
the Justice Department said:
WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice today filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block AT&T Inc.'s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc.
The department said that the proposed $39 billion transaction would substantially lessen competition for mobile wireless telecommunications services across the United States, resulting in higher prices, poorer quality services, fewer choices and fewer innovative products for the millions of American consumers who rely on mobile wireless services in their everyday lives.
The department's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to prevent AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom AG.
"The combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services," said Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole. "Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation's wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition."
"T-Mobile has been an important source of competition among the national carriers, including through innovation and quality enhancements such as the roll-out of the first nationwide high-speed data network," said Sharis A. Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. "Unless this merger is blocked, competition and innovation will be reduced, and consumers will suffer."
Mobile wireless telecommunications services play a critical role in the way Americans live and work, with more than 300 million feature phones, smart phones, data cards, tablets and other mobile wireless devices in service today. Four nationwide providers of these services - AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon - account for more than 90 percent of mobile wireless connections. The proposed acquisition would combine two of those four, eliminating from the market T-Mobile, a firm that historically has been a value provider, offering particularly aggressive pricing.
According to the complaint, AT&T and T-Mobile compete head to head nationwide, including in 97 of the nation's largest 100 cellular marketing areas. They also compete nationwide to attract business and government customers. AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile would eliminate a company that has been a disruptive force through low pricing and innovation by competing aggressively in the mobile wireless telecommunications services marketplace.
The complaint cites a T-Mobile document in which T-Mobile explains that it has been responsible for a number of significant "firsts" in the U.S. mobile wireless industry, including the first handset using the Android operating system, Blackberry wireless email, the Sidekick, national Wi-Fi "hotspot" access, and a variety of unlimited service plans. T-Mobile was also the first company to roll out a nationwide high-speed data network based on advanced HSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access) technology. The complaint states that by January 2011, an AT&T employee was observing that "[T-Mobile] was first to have HSPA+ devices in their portfolio...we added them in reaction to potential loss of speed claims."
The complaint details other ways that AT&T felt competitive pressure from T-Mobile. The complaint quotes T-Mobile documents describing the company's important role in the market:
• T-Mobile sees itself as "the No. 1 value challenger of the established big guys in the market and as well positioned in a consolidated 4-player national market"; and
• T-Mobile's strategy is to "attack incumbents and find innovative ways to overcome scale disadvantages. [T-Mobile] will be faster, more agile, and scrappy, with diligence on decisions and costs both big and small. Our approach to market will not be conventional, and we will push to the boundaries where possible. . . . [T-Mobile] will champion the customer and break down industry barriers with innovations. . . ."
The complaint also states that regional providers face significant competitive limitations, largely stemming from their lack of national networks, and are therefore limited in their ability to compete with the four national carriers. And, the department said that any potential entry from a new mobile wireless telecommunications services provider would be unable to offset the transaction's anticompetitive effects because it would be difficult, time-consuming and expensive, requiring spectrum licenses and the construction of a network.
The department said that it gave serious consideration to the efficiencies that the merging parties claim would result from the transaction. The department concluded AT&T had not demonstrated that the proposed transaction promised any efficiencies that would be sufficient to outweigh the transaction's substantial adverse impact on competition and consumers. Moreover, the department said that AT&T could obtain substantially the same network enhancements that it claims will come from the transaction if it simply invested in its own network without eliminating a close competitor.
AT&T is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Dallas. AT&T is one of the world's largest providers of communications services, and is the second largest mobile wireless telecommunications services provider in the United States as measured by subscribers. It serves approximately 98.6 million connections to wireless devices. In 2010, AT&T earned mobile wireless telecommunications services revenues of $53.5 billion, and its total revenues were in excess of $124 billion.
T-Mobile, is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. T-Mobile is the fourth-largest mobile wireless telecommunications services provider in the United States as measured by subscribers, and serves approximately 33.6 million wireless connections to wireless devices. In 2010, T-Mobile earned mobile wireless telecommunications services revenues of $18.7 billion. T-Mobile is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG.
Deutsche Telekom AG is a German corporation headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications operator in Europe with wireline and wireless interests in numerous countries and total annual revenues in 2010 of 62.4 billion euros.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GOOD
sent from my uncyanogen modded epic 4g. with the key skips.
Very good!
More competition.
Orrrr sprint to buy tmobile lol
Sent from my SPH-D700
ac16313 said:
Very good!
More competition.
Orrrr sprint to buy tmobile lol
Sent from my SPH-D700
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint may end up buying T-Mobile now. I'm interested in how it goes.
P.S. Sprint's stock did well today due to this news.
Imagine a world with only AT&T...
Finally, the government does something I actually approve of.
Sent from the future.
Overstew said:
Sprint may end up buying T-Mobile now. I'm interested in how it goes.
P.S. Sprint's stock did well today due to this news.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am too. Only if we could speed up the process though
Sent from my SPH-D700
Overstew said:
P.S. Sprint's stock did well today due to this news.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw that, but it had a run down over the last couple of weeks.
News like this could really spark a rally if its upheld, though.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
doesn't sprint lose money every year? just more slowely? how are they going to buy anything.
austin420 said:
i think apple should buy tmobile so they can give iphone users a true end to end experience. tmo could exclusively sell iphones, leave all the good android handsets to the other carriers. if all the big networks(ie att and vzw) saw a mass exodus of customers to go to a service provided by apple, prices would prolly go down across the board.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since they canned the other thread, ill post this here too.
austin420 said:
since they canned the other thread, ill post this here too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly, but what would happen to the T-Mobile users who would like an Android phone?
get a quad band gsm android phone and use your tmo sim card. the same thing a lot of people do already.
Overstew said:
Sprint may end up buying T-Mobile now. I'm interested in how it goes.
P.S. Sprint's stock did well today due to this news.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubt it. Sprint lacks the money and much of its lobbying against the merger could be used against a Sprint-TMobile merger.
And then they have incompatible networks. Big headache.
Sprint can benefit from TMobile now bleeding even more subscribers due to this debacle and their stagnant strategic decisionmaking while awaiting the merger (ie no iPhone and LTE).
With no LTE development and a spectrum crunch (that ATT and Verizon also have), TMobile may now have to pursue a deal piggyback off of Clearwire; not sure what this means if Clear ends up be acquired by Sprint.
Jayavarman said:
Doubt it. Sprint lacks the money and much of its lobbying against the merger could be used against a Sprint-TMobile merger.
And then they have incompatible networks. Big headache.
Sprint can benefit from TMobile now bleeding even more subscribers due to this debacle and their stagnant strategic decisionmaking while awaiting the merger (ie no iPhone and LTE).
With no LTE development and a spectrum crunch (that ATT and Verizon also have), TMobile may now have to pursue a deal piggyback off of Clearwire; not sure what this means if Clear ends up be acquired by Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With more spectrally efficient technologies, the crunch will be alleviated, at least a little bit. LTE has a 5bit/hz spectral efficiency and can be deployed in channel lengths of as little as 1.4mhz. Speed = Spectral Efficiency * bandwidth. So, with the 120mhz of available bandwidth clearwire has, Sprint can run 5 users at 120mbps per tower or 10 users at 60mbps.
With the 800mhz band sprint can run 10 users at 7mbps or 7 users at 10mbps.
I don't know how much spectrum sprint has of 1900 but it is significant. It is, after all, Sprint's current bread and butter spectrum (their whole cdma network).
With the minimum sized 1.4mhz chunks in the 800mhz/2500mhz bands and sufficient backhaul, Sprint can support 95 users per tower running at a full 7mbps.
Bye bye 200kbps pseudo-3G!
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
Actually, this could be bad for Sprint. If T-Mobile gets bought by AT&T, several of their users will leave to Sprint. Also, right now, Sprint and T-Mobile are the main carriers that aren't crazy expensive, if T-Mobile gets expensive, Sprint will be the only one and that makes them stand out and get more customers.
vzw comes out as "not against" the deal. says if the gov. plans on blocking this, it needs to come up with a plan to address spectrum issues.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110921-710723.html
Sprint files suit to stop AT&T / T-Mobile merger *update* At&t strikes back lol
Looks like the US government isn't the only party looking to stand in the way of AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. Sprint today announced that it has filed suit in federal court in the District of Columbia against AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile. The filing outlines the carrier's concern that the proposed deal would harm consumers, corporate customers and carriers (such as, you know, Sprint), while transforming AT&T-Mobile and Verizon into a "duopoly." Of course, this isn't the first time the carrier has let the world know that it's not particularly pumped about the whole proposal. See the full litigious press release after the break.
source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/sprint-files-suit-to-stop-atandt-t-mobile-merger/
AT&T fires back against Sprint over T-Mobile acquisition suit
Well, that didn't take long. Sprint today revealed that it has filed a suit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile purchase -- and now AT&T is hitting back with some less than flattering words. An AT&T spokesperson told Engadget, "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." AT&T went on to promise a "vigorous fight" and reiterated that such a merger would ultimately prove beneficial to the industry and consumers, improving wireless service and solving spectrum concerns.
Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/atandt-fires-back-against-sprint-over-t-mobile-acquisition-suit/
**** getting real
auau465121 said:
Well, that didn't take long. Sprint today revealed that it has filed a suit against AT&T's proposed T-Mobile purchase -- and now AT&T is hitting back with some less than flattering words. An AT&T spokesperson told Engadget, "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." AT&T went on to promise a "vigorous fight" and reiterated that such a merger would ultimately prove beneficial to the industry and consumers, improving wireless service and solving spectrum concerns.
Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/06/atandt-fires-back-against-sprint-over-t-mobile-acquisition-suit/
**** getting real
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.
Lol I liked the idea putting the movie wedding Crasher on the title.screen.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
culua said:
Lol I liked the idea putting the movie wedding Crasher on the title.screen.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah that had me laughing too
mattykinsx said:
How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha! AT&T sucks ass and they know it! For example, when AT&T first got the IPhone, it overwhelmed their network. AT&T STILL hasn't learned from their mistake(s).
I would rather go prepaid than have AT&T has a sole GSM carrier.
Also, I think and heard that there is a petition floating around contesting the AT&T merger/buyout of TMobile.
mattykinsx said:
How does at&t buying tmobile promote competition?
I'll wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had T-mobile before. I didn't mind it. Taking our choice down to 3 from 4 decreases the competition. I can't see how this is good for consumers. Only argument I can see is that merging the two means their coverages merge but me living in a major city don't have coverage problems with any carrier. But better coverage doesn't mean better for consumer because that means ATT can continue to charge their high prices with less alternative.
jessejames111981 said:
I have had T-mobile before. I didn't mind it. Taking our choice down to 3 from 4 decreases the competition. I can't see how this is good for consumers. Only argument I can see is that merging the two means their coverages merge but me living in a major city don't have coverage problems with any carrier. But better coverage doesn't mean better for consumer because that means ATT can continue to charge their high prices with less alternative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's important to note...
Their coverage will not merge, they will improve though.
Due to rules to prevent monopolies they will likely have to sell off some of the acquired spectrum.
At&t will gain, and the gains will be noticeable, but they won't gain every subscriber/tower from T-mobile.
But that's obviously not the problem with this merger.
And I'm yet to hear one good reason why this merger is "promoting" competition.
AT&T just has some wack ass plan prices. T-Mobile are a bunch of morons. I was having problems with my signal & this guy kept telling me to use WiFi calling & i asked him if it had WiFi on the phone & he said I don't know. I knew there was no Wifi on the phone but i wanted to see how much this guy even knew about phone. He had a computer right in front of him with the make & model of the phone i was using & could not figure out if it had Wifi. I finally told him this kind of phone does not have Wifi & he said ok we will send you one that does have it. lol. T-Mobile cut my friends phone off because he was 1 day late paying his bill, PFFT. What a joke. I wish Sprint would have bought T-Mobile, Then everyone would be happy. Sprint is by far the BEST company! I hope Sprint does stop AT&T from buying T-Mobile then turns around & buys them. Hope Sprint also gets the NFL contract back, They should have never let that go.
AT&T knows that having less companies allows them to control a market that is a need for us consumers. By having more companies providing a service in communications allows the customer to have a choice, which eventually will help in the price of the service. Any company, regardless of service by having less competition allows them price their service to benefit them, not the consumer.
let att have it. if they dont buy it, dt is already saying that they would rather shut down t-mo and sell off its assets rather than spin it off and do an ipo. either way, were going down to 3 carriers.
austin420 said:
let att have it. if they dont buy it, dt is already saying that they would rather shut down t-mo and sell off its assets rather than spin it off and do an ipo. either way, were going down to 3 carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather that happen then have ma bell back.
Your cell phone bill with thank the U.S. government/Sprint as well.