Database Users

So...AT&T is going to buy T-Mobile USA

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110320005040/en/ATT-Acquire-T-Mobile-USA-Deutsche-Telekom
DALLAS & BONN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Deutsche Telekom AG (FWB: DTE) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which AT&T will acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a cash-and-stock transaction currently valued at approximately $39 billion. The agreement has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.
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Prepare to have crappy service.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOES!
We're in league with those iphoners xP
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As long as they don't rape my plan, I can live with it. Just means more people I can call on the same network.

This pretty much means bye bye to my G2. ATT is probably gonna raise the plan prices and get rid of unlimited data.
Goes to check out the Verizon android phones.

Man. I was on Cingular since it was SouthwesternBellWireless, and refused to deal with the snobs at AT&T. Then (sorta-kinda) I ended up on AT&T anyways, just dumped them for T-Mobile in November, and now I'm going to end up BACK on AT&T. I just can't freakin get away from them.
I got a G2 that says Verizon buys either Sprint or MetroPCS before the end of the year.

WTF
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If it passes regulatory approval I'm jumping ship, the only option left for affordable plans with unlimited data is Sprint... I wish I'd waited to see the dual core phones so I could upgrade and jump ship at the same time.
Prepare for crappy phone AND customer service.

I mostly use wifi when I'm using my data. This does **** suck. If it's true, I'm jumping to Verizon when my contract's up next year.

Sigh
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Awesome! T-Mobile service BLOWS if you're not near a major city... this is very beneficial for me.

Damn this sucks

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I know it's soon but so many questions! What happens to our 3G/4G bands and phones?!? My grandfathered T-Zones plans from like 7 years ago?! The beloved customer service?!
AT&T will have a GSM monopoly. What a nightmare.

I don't know what to say.
Sent From My G6

who here wants to cry with me... im really hating this right now.. cant believe this actually happing

Nitemare3219 said:
Awesome! T-Mobile service BLOWS if you're not near a major city... this is very beneficial for me.
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Well when you think about it, most people who HAVE tmobile LIVE near a major city. This benefits no one except the people who should've been with at&t ._.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

Typical...
I left Sprint for my business account in February after 9 years and moved on to one of my family T-Mobile accounts dating back to the Voicestream days, SPECIFICALLY because I don't want the AT&T or Verizon headaches.
Being responsible for various company's telecom, data and mobile services, I've dealt with every single one of the carriers over the past 16 years, and can say without hesitation that T-Mobile has the BEST customer service. AT&T is the absolute worst, with the possible exception of Orange or Vodafone-AG.
I had dared to dream that T-Mobile and Sprint would reach an agreement, reach critical mass and survive as a viable alternative to the AT&T-Verizon hegemony.
IMHO, it is unrealistic to expect Congress to review this merger in an unbiased manner. AT&T and T-Mobile have a legion of lobbyists already "explaining" the value & importance of this transaction to our elected officials; as money flows into re-election campaign funds, elaborate "fact finding missions" and junkets to European destinations are planned & payed for; college scholarships are awarded to family members through obscure networks of shell organizations...
Then again, maybe our elected officials will surprise me... we're still going to get that hopey-changey thing someone was selling in 2008, right?

Seriously, F AT&T, they are going to ruin everything that is good about T-mobile.
Say bye-bye to phones like the G2 when AT&T is around, they're notoriously terrible about progressing stock android devices, and have always stopped the side-loading of non-market apps on every Android phone they have.
As long as they don't get rid of non contract Even More+ plans and keep my plan cheap, I don't really care, but I can only imagine prices and everything are going up. Not to mention that we're gonna more than likely lose unlimited data, and lose free tethering.
T-mobile has been fantastic to me and its a great deal, but I just have a bad feeling nothing is getting better with this except coverage. Id rather have poor coverage than everything else that AT&T is going to do to wreck a great carrier.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm not with AT&T for a damn reason - they suck!!! I could go all day listing every reason why they suck but it's too nice outside. This just messed up my whole damn day. Really, will this even pass the check points? I mean they will have a monopoly for the most part on ALL gsm service in the CONUS.
It's almost April... maybe this is just an early joke, a very sick one at that and not even funny.
I hate Motorola's implemintation of Android and since those are the only decent Android phones Verizon carries - Sprint, here I come. I live in their home city anyway.

*RAGE*
10char

ilostchild said:
who here wants to cry with me... im really hating this right now.. cant believe this actually happing
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I'm crying with you! SO, SO, SO very sad right now. I hope it doesn't get approved!

The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling!!!

At&t did not buy T-Mobile today. At&t announced its INTENTION to buy T-Mobile. This sort of thing is subject to regulatory approval and could take YEARS to approve, if ever. My guess is that its a move to inflate at&T's stock price because I don't think this aquisition would ever withstand anti-trust examination. Not to mention that everyone from Verizon to Sprint to Cricket will file injunctions to block this deal on exactly those grounds tomorrow. Relax.

LMAO at the thread title
Thanks Mr. Voiceofreason

austontatious said:
At&t did not buy T-Mobile today. At&t announced its INTENTION to buy T-Mobile. This sort of thing is subject to regulatory approval and could take YEARS to approve, if ever. My guess is that its a move to inflate at&T's stock price because I don't think this aquisition would ever withstand anti-trust examination. Not to mention that everyone from Verizon to Sprint to Cricket will file injunctions to block this deal on exactly those grounds tomorrow. Relax.
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Usually the company buying the other company's stock goes down.
ATT has made wise decisions to establish their position. Their betting on the Iphone was a solid winner and now that the cash cow is being milked by others ATT looks to continue growing through this acquisition.
This deal will go through and then Verizon will buy Sprint. Sucks, but it makes sense for these mega companies. It will suck for the consumer.

Your theory does hold merit except you're overlooking one MASSIVE detail. The negotiation terms.
'In the event of the deal failing to receive regulatory approval, AT&T will be on the hook for $3 billion to T-Mobile -- a breakup fee, they call it -- along with transferring over some AWS spectrum it doesn't need for its LTE rollout, and granting T-Mo a roaming agreement at a value agreeable to both parties.'
I don't think AT&T wants to fork over $3 billion and part of it's spectrum for a ploy.

austontatious said:
At&t did not buy T-Mobile today. At&t announced its INTENTION to buy T-Mobile. This sort of thing is subject to regulatory approval and could take YEARS to approve, if ever. My guess is that its a move to inflate at&T's stock price because I don't think this aquisition would ever withstand anti-trust examination. Not to mention that everyone from Verizon to Sprint to Cricket will file injunctions to block this deal on exactly those grounds tomorrow. Relax.
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I think on closer examination, you're a bit off-base.
One of the overlooked elements in this story is that AT&T has agreed to pay TMo/DT US$3 billion along with giving TMo very favorable roaming agreements, if this deal doesn't go thru. Trust me, AT&T fully expects this deal to survive scrutiny. Yeah, they'll have to make some sort of concessions, maybe even sell or give up some spectrum, and maybe agree to keep prices at a certain level for a period of time, for example, but they fully expect to be the owner of a certified preowned cellular 'net with about 34 million subs, in about 12 months.

brook**** said:
Usually the company buying the other company's stock goes down.
ATT has made wise decisions to establish their position. Their betting on the Iphone was a solid winner and now that the cash cow is being milked by others ATT looks to continue growing through this acquisition.
This deal will go through and then Verizon will buy Sprint. Sucks, but it makes sense for these mega companies. It will suck for the consumer.
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I agree completly with bed red picking up sprint, especially if sprint goes lte, if sprint stays wimax then there is a chance for them to maintain their independance, but they need to start making money
The at&t mobil deal will go through, since verizion probably covers the same markets
Remember when big red bought altel, they had to sell the towers in areas, verizion already had towers, and there were no other towers, there was such a small number of markets affected I think like 10 or so
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Do some homework - bell was broken up in 1984 because they were too big. Do you think the SEC is going to just give a do-over? And that $3B is about AT&TS operating budget for a fiscal quarter. If their stock price goes up 1/10th of a percent they will make that back. The purchasing company only loses stock value if they don't meet financial forecasts AFTER the buy. The information that AT&T will double its spectrum is almost guaranteed to raise their stock. Watch the ticker tomorrow. If ATT doesn't skyrocket when the bell rings ill be shocked. And it isn't a permanent thing. This would basically allow AT&T to borrow the money to improve their network from the market - INTEREST FREE. And Verizon will never buy Sprint. The biggest mobile company in America can't buy one of the other biggest companies in America. Never happen.

Regardless, only time will tell. My point is that this isn't a done deal. It will have to survive legal challenges from any number of government and private entities. I don't think it will happen, YMMV. And there is no way it will go through in 12 months. You can't buy a baskin Robbins in 12 months. So just relax.

austontatious said:
Do some homework - bell was broken up in 1984 because they were too big. Do you think the SEC is going to just give a do-over? And that $3B is about AT&TS operating budget for a fiscal quarter. If their stock price goes up 1/10th of a percent they will make that back. The purchasing company only loses stock value if they don't meet financial forecasts AFTER the buy. The information that AT&T will double its spectrum is almost guaranteed to raise their stock. Watch the ticker tomorrow. If ATT doesn't skyrocket when the bell rings ill be shocked. And it isn't a permanent thing. This would basically allow AT&T to borrow the money to improve their network from the market - INTEREST FREE. And Verizon will never buy Sprint. The biggest mobile company in America can't buy one of the other biggest companies in America. Never happen.
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That was 1984. Completely different regulatory environment today.
When's the last time the SEC or DOJ blocked a big telecom merger? Didn't happen when SBC bought then-Ameritech; not when Bell Atlantic/Verizon bought Alltel. Didn't happen when SBC and the old AT&T merged. Didn't happen when Comcast snatched up NBC/U recently, and Comcast is hated coast-to-coast.
And you can bet real $$$ that the regulators aren't going to block this one, today. They'll eke out concessions, and then the only question remaining will be "what color will the new logo for the successor company, be?"

austontatious said:
Do some homework - bell was broken up in 1984 because they were too big. Do you think the SEC is going to just give a do-over? And that $3B is about AT&TS operating budget for a fiscal quarter. If their stock price goes up 1/10th of a percent they will make that back. The purchasing company only loses stock value if they don't meet financial forecasts AFTER the buy. The information that AT&T will double its spectrum is almost guaranteed to raise their stock. Watch the ticker tomorrow. If ATT doesn't skyrocket when the bell rings ill be shocked. And it isn't a permanent thing. This would basically allow AT&T to borrow the money to improve their network from the market - INTEREST FREE. And Verizon will never buy Sprint. The biggest mobile company in America can't buy one of the other biggest companies in America. Never happen.
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Finally an intelligent comment. I'll scream corruption if this deal falls through.

TonyArmstrong said:
That was 1984. Completely different regulatory environment today.
When's the last time the SEC or DOJ blocked a big telecom merger? Didn't happen when SBC bought then-Ameritech; not when Bell Atlantic/Verizon bought Alltel. Didn't happen when SBC and the old AT&T merged. Didn't happen when Comcast snatched up NBC/U recently, and Comcast is hated coast-to-coast.
And you can bet real $$$ that the regulators aren't going to block this one, today. They'll eke out concessions, and then the only question remaining will be "what color will the new logo for the successor company, be?"
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VZW was forced to give AT&T some of Alltel subscribers. I believe that was the FTC's doing.

Correct me if I am wrong but in 84 ma bell owned most if not all phone lines, thus had total control over every phone. Vzw owns towers, and att owns towers, sprint owns towers, att would not be able to own all towers, and have complete control over wireless signal.
The funny thing is all the fiber back bone to the towers is probably owned by at&t
Sent from my Evo using the XDA app

gqstatus0685 said:
VZW was forced to give AT&T some of Alltel subscribers. I believe that was the FTC's doing.
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But the deal still went through. That's my point. The FTC, Justice, SEC all might have some requirements -- and yes the combined company might have to shed some subscribers. But not anywhere near what makes a real difference.
At the end of the day, right now, I put the chances of this deal not going to closing at way less than 1 in 10.

I think it will go through because AT&T has deep pockets. If it doesn't fall through they'll have to cough up money among other things. They are fairly confident that it'll go through. I work for AT&T by the way and have read many communications about this today.

If this merger can't go through, then all the Ticketmaster monopoly acquisitions shouldn't have either. That didn't stop anyone from declaring it illegal. As long as the buyers have deep pockets (which AT&T does) and "buy" out the people who decide these things, anything could happen. Companies can get away with anything as long as they butter up the right people.

*coughs* called it.

zomg! did some one say the sky is falling?

No price change t-mobile

T-Mobile released a statement that contracts will not change in a year(when att takes over) as long as you have sign one before then.
http://tinyurl.com/4o46cfb
Sent from my Vibrant

That is stupid.
Tmo sold, who do they think they are to dictate that nothing will change ?
Are you really that naive ?

Agreed, don't be so naive.
n2ishun said:
That is stupid.
Tmo sold, who do they think they are to dictate that nothing will change ?
Are you really that naive ?
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I have to agree, you shouldn't be so naive. Chances are to avoid any trouble they will honor all existing contracts, but what happens to people that are not in a contract?
What happens to those of us who are month to month? Chances are At&t will force us to switch to a new rate plan and give us a few months to do so before they cut us off completely.

Wow. Such hate for AT&T. I don't get it.
I had been a happy customer of theirs for more than 2 decades (Original AT&T Wireless -> Cingular -> AT&T). My plan from the original ATT Wireless was grandfathered in and survived two corporate takeovers. In other words, I was out of contract more than 10 years ago and they never forced me to upgrade or change.
The only reason I switched to T-Mo is the phone and price. I needed a new plan since I could NOT get data into my grandfathered plan. AT&T had really expensive pricing for data, so we switched.
I am actually looking forward to going back. AT&T service was and is really professional. (Cingular's was NOT).
Disclaimer, I do NOT work for them, and I own no AT&T stock. Just stating my own direct experience.

anandneemish said:
AT&T service was and is really professional. (Cingular's was NOT).
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My wife and I have logged many hours with AT&T's support voice menus, scripts, learned the thick accents, and have many of the responses memorized. I get paid quite well by the hour and it insults me why I should pay to get the runaround by thick layers of departments for which AT&T is famous.
I was a happy Cingular customer. AT&T bought them. I left for obvious reasons. Now I'm with Tmobile. My recent experience with AT&T over Uverse (oh what could possibly go wrong...today?) is likely an indicator of what I can expect yet again. It took 6 technicians from AT&T to finally replace a cable of a wrong impedance (I may have an BSEE, but its highly counterproductive talking to scripted tech support who will punish scientific arguments.) No thanks. Can you feel the hate dripping?
The Death Star strikes again. Crushing the rebel forces one by one...

No price change until:
A) you need a new contract
B) you are not under contract
C) when you want to add a feature not included in your contract
D) ATT decides to cancel your current plan and offers you a new plan will less features for the same money.
I agree with the approve poster... there will be a GSM monopoly. GSM is a requisite for all international travelers.
Oh Ma Bell, the irony.

SamsungVibrant said:
What happens to those of us who are month to month? Chances are At&t will force us to switch to a new rate plan and give us a few months to do so before they cut us off completely.
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This. My credit sucks. If I think what may happen actually happens, there goes my only chance of actually having service for my beautiful cellphone, unless I go to cricket, which makes me vomit just thinking about using a huawei. Im scared.
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The only reason I switched to T-Mo is the phone and price. I needed a new plan since I could NOT get data into my grandfathered plan. AT&T had really expensive pricing for data, so we switched.
Maybe this is not hate but it sure is not love either. Just saying

Guys, you shouldn't worry about pricing.
1. AT&T may have paid for it, but they don't completely own it until the DOJ and FCC do what they need to do. They can still deny it.
2. AT&T wouldn't be dumb enough to piss off current T-Mobile customers to the point where they cancel their contracts, I mean they did just shell out $25 billion in cash (+ $14 billion in stocks or something) for the company, they wouldn't risk losing all of the profit right away.

Plans will be grandfathered. That's a fact. I've worked for the blue devil and they are good on that note. However how will this affect upcoming android phones? With all their sideloading app crappy. Smh. Sprint may be my last resort. I may work for them but I do loathe them..
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I'm very worried about this. Granted, it may be some time before these changes actually take effect, but I for one do not currently have a contract, and that is the sole reason I switched from at&t to tmo. Now after purchasing 4 phones at full price so that I could keep my cheaper monthly rate, I'm fairly certain that at&t is going to force me to go with one of their plans. I like my unlimited data for 25 bucks a month. Will at&t do that for me? Past experience says a hearty, resounding, "no".
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Well it looks like if you stay with ATT/T-Mobile, you will have to get a new handset due to the AWS spectrum.
http://tinyurl.com/67f7osl
Mazz

Mazz35 said:
Well it looks like if you stay with ATT/T-Mobile, you will have to get a new handset due to the AWS spectrum.
http://tinyurl.com/67f7osl
Mazz
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Not for those of us with Vibrants since they are capable of both AWS spectrums.

AT&T giving a twelve month window for the merger to take place is extremely optimistic. Maybe if the FCC and justice department was put in place by the GOP. We are probably looking at 16-18 months for approval given Ma Bell's monopoly history.
Sent from my Vibrant

Longcat14 said:
Guys, you shouldn't worry about pricing.
1. AT&T may have paid for it, but they don't completely own it until the DOJ and FCC do what they need to do. They can still deny it.
2. AT&T wouldn't be dumb enough to piss off current T-Mobile customers to the point where they cancel their contracts, I mean they did just shell out $25 billion in cash (+ $14 billion in stocks or something) for the company, they wouldn't risk losing all of the profit right away.
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AT&T is not so much after the T-Mobile business or customers, it is more desirous of the T-Mobile AWS spectrum. See Confirmed:
AT&T wants to use T-Mobile's AWS spectrum for LTE buildout" over on Engadget. AT&T have proved over and over again they could not care less about customers. So do I think they would be foolish enough to "piss off" T-Mobile customers? Sure in fact many of the T-Mobile current customers have already been "pissed off" by AT&T and are on TMO because of that!

wpbcubsfan said:
Not for those of us with Vibrants since they are capable of both AWS spectrums.
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Ok... good to know that. I was a bit worried after reading that.

Mazz35 said:
Well it looks like if you stay with ATT/T-Mobile, you will have to get a new handset due to the AWS spectrum.
http://tinyurl.com/67f7osl
Mazz
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It does appear to be that way. I had planned on purchasing on upgrade the LG G2X and the new lg tablet but now it is up in the air. What a time for T mobile to spring this. I got away from AT&T 14 years ago(have been with T Mobile the whole time) and do not want their level of service and pricing again. I guess Verizon is about the only choice for me as I certainly do not want Sprint. I wonder if T mobile will continue to roll out some of the new phones from LG one of which is rumored to be Vanilla android, or will this just coast till the deal is completely done.

Longcat14 said:
Guys, you shouldn't worry about pricing.
1. AT&T may have paid for it, but they don't completely own it until the DOJ and FCC do what they need to do. They can still deny it.
2. AT&T wouldn't be dumb enough to piss off current T-Mobile customers to the point where they cancel their contracts, I mean they did just shell out $25 billion in cash (+ $14 billion in stocks or something) for the company, they wouldn't risk losing all of the profit right away.
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Well, you never know. From my assumption, they only purchased T-Mobile for their 4G towers, they are going to use the existing ones to boost their own 4G LTE network to most of the country (and by most, I mean like 97 percent) including rural areas. Head over to Engadget, what might happen in one year might be interesting.. I am definitely not a fan of AT&T but theoretically their plan seems solid.
Just my ideas on it. Take them as you want..

Grandfathered
I'm just wondering just how long AT&T is going to allow my the TMO unlimited calling, unlimited data, $10 HotSpot plan to stay in force? Debating on riding out existing contract and then updating to Vibrant 4G and re-up before they stick it to me....or maybe that will be too late because it'll already be under AT&Ts BS data contracts.
I was with AT&T for years until they made it clear they could care less if I stayed with them or not. They would offer you the world to switch but if you were already a customer, they wouldn't offer you squat to reup.
The only good news potentially is that TMO has notoriously bad reception in rural areas (in Texas anyway) where AT&T is much better.

Longcat14 said:
Guys, you shouldn't worry about pricing.
1. AT&T may have paid for it, but they don't completely own it until the DOJ and FCC do what they need to do. They can still deny it.
2. AT&T wouldn't be dumb enough to piss off current T-Mobile customers to the point where they cancel their contracts, I mean they did just shell out $25 billion in cash (+ $14 billion in stocks or something) for the company, they wouldn't risk losing all of the profit right away.
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The USA will approve AT&T's buyout. AT&T says yes when Tmobile says no to unlimited government wiretapping. With Tmobile, they always say, "sorry" when records or access is wanted. The green light for this was long in the works.

(Competition) bye bye unlimited for verizon

http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...lans-this-summer/&category=classic&postPage=1
So sad that companies are doing this, especially just to carry a phone.

mattykinsx said:
http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...lans-this-summer/&category=classic&postPage=1
So sad that companies are doing this, especially just to carry a phone.
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Yeah, I don't know what to do.
I kinda want to get the EVO3D, but I really like Moto phones... but Sprint is cheaper and has a better plan.
If Moto would come out with a DROID 3 on Sprint I wouldn't even be having this predicament. Or if HTC would make a ridiculously-specced QWERTY phone with Android on Sprint.

so sad, i hope carriers change their mind about how low the cap is

Kinda sucks in a way since I hate it when carriers get the better of customers. As long as I get good Sprint coverage ( and they don't do any stupid **** like this), I'm sticking with them though.
Pocket posted...

Sad to think it's only a matter of time before Sprint moves in the same direction. It's inevitable.

Am I the only one seeing it.....what happened to at&t after iPhone dropped? This is only round 2 of the Jobs train. Verizon will soon be another at&t and so will sprint is they're stupid enough to get it. Pretty sad.
Sent from the Evo

conqu1stador said:
Sad to think it's only a matter of time before Sprint moves in the same direction. It's inevitable.
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I don't know that they can.
They made a commitment to truly unlimited, to go back on it now would damage them as far as PR.

mattykinsx said:
I don't know that they can.
They made a commitment to truly unlimited, to go back on it now would damage them as far as PR.
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Of course they CAN.
I do hope they stick to their plans for as long as logically possible. But it just seems unrealistic to think that even 5 years from now they'd still be offering truly unlimited data. This is the direction the industry is going in. Sprint will inevitably follow.
I love Sprint and hope they can keep it up for as long as possible, and it's going to be a great reason to start drawing in even more subscribers as everyone else goes the tiered data route. But it's not going to last forever. Or even half of forever ... whatever that is.

conqu1stador said:
Of course they CAN.
I do hope they stick to their plans for as long as logically possible. But it just seems unrealistic to think that even 5 years from now they'd still be offering truly unlimited data. This is the direction the industry is going in. Sprint will inevitably follow.
I love Sprint and hope they can keep it up for as long as possible, and it's going to be a great reason to start drawing in even more subscribers as everyone else goes the tiered data route. But it's not going to last forever. Or even half of forever ... whatever that is.
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When I speak of "can" I mean with business sense, of course.
Sprint needs to be smart here because that wins you business.
If they're smart and keep to what they claim are their ideals then they can steal away a good chunk from the At&t/Verizon crowd.
They need to maintain their network, keep prices low and keep truly unlimited.
There's only one way to do that: efficiency.

Well, sure. From a business stand point that is all well and good. I get what you're saying but I don't think its that crazy to think that even a few years down the road ( IF that) you start hearing talk of Sprint possibly moving away from true unlimited. At the end of the day you have to keep the boat afloat and you have to weigh the 'money from subscriber numbers' to the possible 'revenue from said subscribers data plans.'
I do think that with their current plans, coupled with other carrier decisions and actions, it can only be a positive for Sprint to keep up the same game. But at the end of the day it is a business. Whatever nets you more of a profit at the end of the year and allows the dream to continue is what gets done. At the end of the day it's all the same, the business has to do what is best for themselves.
I do think it's more important for Sprint because they obviously don't have the numbers that the others do, so even if however many people choose to abandon the network because of tiered data plans, the hit isn't as noticeable. But with Sprint, should people start jumping ship en masse due to their network issues then it obviously effects Sprint more because of the smaller numbers.
I'm not saying Sprint couldn't afford to do it, I get that it would make more sense for them to stick with their current guns - especially in the face of everyone else changing their plans up. And time will tell just how many people actually jump from Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile to Sprint because of their unlimited data plans. It's not like people are jumping on at record numbers.
Either way, it's still going to happen. Just a matter of time.
Enviado desde mi PC36100 utilizando XDA Premium de la aplicación

mattykinsx said:
When I speak of "can" I mean with business sense, of course.
Sprint needs to be smart here because that wins you business.
If they're smart and keep to what they claim are their ideals then they can steal away a good chunk from the At&t/Verizon crowd.
They need to maintain their network, keep prices low and keep truly unlimited.
There's only one way to do that: efficiency.
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I think their network is the only thing holding them back and that's my only complaint.. I work for at&t land line and even with my measly 20% discount, I still pay less with sprint shared plan

conqu1stador said:
But it's still going to happen.
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I wouldn't go as far as to claim that.
I would be interested to know how much it actually costs a carrier to have truly unlimited versus not.
My guess would be: not jack **** of a difference.
My guess is it's really all about preventing sharing of copyrighted files and what Apple wants. [yet another example why don't own apple products]

mattykinsx said:
When I speak of "can" I mean with business sense, of course.
Sprint needs to be smart here because that wins you business.
If they're smart and keep to what they claim are their ideals then they can steal away a good chunk from the At&t/Verizon crowd.
They need to maintain their network, keep prices low and keep truly unlimited.
There's only one way to do that: efficiency.
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I dont know why people still believe this exodus to the cheaper/better deal carrier stuff to be true. Sprint and Tmobile have been the cheapest out of the 4 big carriers in the US for probably the past 5 years. Even the fact that you can get almost unlimited calls, texts and data for $69.99 on Sprint still hasnt been enough to sway people from choosing VZW and AT&T instead. Its as simple as looking at the churn and post paid subscriber gains/losses. Sprint and Tmobile are cheaper and still bleed more customers than the big 2.
In the grand scheme of things.. its not going to matter. Sprint still has a stigma tied to its name from the terrible service/customer service they used to have and when people think of Verizon.. they think of the big red map on tv that gets you coverage pretty much everywhere. Same with Tmobile and AT&T... hell Tmobile has unlimited everything plans for like $79.99 and are still bleeding a ****load of customers pretty much every quarter. AT&T has tiered data and high plans, yet still gains post paid customers every quarter. I hope people dont think that just because VZW is going tiered thats going to change. Even with all the changes Sprint has made, their sole reason for the turnaround last year was the Evo. That was a good thing... but at the time the Evo was the first.. AND only of its time. Now you have Evo equivalents and even better coming out on every other carrier.
The whole "first to 4G" thing also helped... but pretty much everyone has it now. Hell even Metro PCS is lighting up LTE in cities now. I would think by now people would realize that its not always the "value" that the masses seek though. Prime example of that, look at how high priced Apple products are but yet.. they cant keep anything they sell in stock and everything they make flies off the shelves. I mean you COULD go get that mp3 player that does the same thing for $100 less... but people dont. You COULD get an Acer tablet instead of the ipad... but people dont. Marketing and perception is reality and thats still a negative in Sprints corner.

mattykinsx said:
I wouldn't go as far as to claim that.
I would be interested to know how much it actually costs a carrier to have truly unlimited versus not.
My guess would be: not jack **** of a difference.
My guess is it's really all about preventing sharing of copyrighted files and what Apple wants. [yet another example why don't own apple products]
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Hell just look at the huge backhaul issues Sprint is having now. Thats with unlimited data. Let AT&T and/or VZW show that going to a tiered data system cuts costs and I guarantee you at some point Sprint will be doing the same thing.

brownhornet said:
I dont know why people still believe this exodus to the cheaper/better deal carrier stuff to be true. Sprint and Tmobile have been the cheapest out of the 4 big carriers in the US for probably the past 5 years. Even the fact that you can get almost unlimited calls, texts and data for $69.99 on Sprint still hasnt been enough to sway people from choosing VZW and AT&T instead. Its as simple as looking at the churn and post paid subscriber gains/losses. Sprint and Tmobile are cheaper and still bleed more customers than the big 2.
In the grand scheme of things.. its not going to matter. Sprint still has a stigma tied to its name from the terrible service/customer service they used to have and when people think of Verizon.. they think of the big red map on tv that gets you coverage pretty much everywhere. Same with Tmobile and AT&T... hell Tmobile has unlimited everything plans for like $79.99 and are still bleeding a ****load of customers pretty much every quarter. AT&T has tiered data and high plans, yet still gains post paid customers every quarter. I hope people dont think that just because VZW is going tiered thats going to change. Even with all the changes Sprint has made, their sole reason for the turnaround last year was the Evo. That was a good thing... but at the time the Evo was the first.. AND only of its time. Now you have Evo equivalents and even better coming out on every other carrier.
The whole "first to 4G" thing also helped... but pretty much everyone has it now. Hell even Metro PCS is lighting up LTE in cities now. I would think by now people would realize that its not always the "value" that the masses seek though. Prime example of that, look at how high priced Apple products are but yet.. they cant keep anything they sell in stock and everything they make flies off the shelves. I mean you COULD go get that mp3 player that does the same thing for $100 less... but people dont. You COULD get an Acer tablet instead of the ipad... but people dont. Marketing and perception is reality and thats still a negative in Sprints corner.
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You hit the nail on the head right there though, it's because of the image Sprint has.
Nothing else.
As far as T-mobile...I know that there are some on here that praise them but their service is dead last.
I think MetroPcs actually has more land coverage now than T-mobile.
If Sprint can change people's minds and stick to their ideals, I see a bright future among the darkness of At&t/Verizon.
brownhornet said:
Hell just look at the huge backhaul issues Sprint is having now. Thats with unlimited data. Let AT&T and/or VZW show that going to a tiered data system cuts costs and I guarantee you at some point Sprint will be doing the same thing.
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I don't know but again, let's not speak in absolutes and with 100% belief because we just don't know.

In the first quarter of this yearSprint reported the most customers gained and the fewest lost in years. I'd venture to say that at that time point it wasn't due to the evo or 4g, seems their image and rep are changing as we type.
Tapa tapa tapa

mattykinsx said:
I wouldn't go as far as to claim that.
I would be interested to know how much it actually costs a carrier to have truly unlimited versus not.
My guess would be: not jack **** of a difference.
My guess is it's really all about preventing sharing of copyrighted files and what Apple wants. [yet another example why don't own apple products]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference in network usage is enough. When Sprint gets back up, and gets a lot of subscribers, then it'll be interesting to see how they handle the two hand in hand.
Look, I'm all for Sprint ... I've been nothing but happy with Sprint. Data speeds in my area are fine, but when visiting family elsewhere I noticed that for the most part it was hit or miss. Thankfully I wasn't relying on phone usage at that time, or at least network usage. But where it counts, where I happen to live and spend most of my time, I have no complaints. So, naturally, I really do hope they can continue this truly unlimited offering for as long as they can. I'm not assuming they'll drop their plans next year, that would be terrible.
Go ahead and point me to the information convincing yourself that it's 'never' going to happen. It's obviously a known fact that for Sprint to keep their small base happy they have to stand by their word, but should that base grow tremendously so they'll have to start putting more and more money into their network. You have to make money to spend money and you have to come out with a profit to realistically keep said business going.
I don't doubt that Sprint reneging on their current plans in the next year would result in a lethal blow to their business, but down the road? It all depends on how well Sprint continues to grow and improve.
And it also wouldn't be the first time that a business made 'promises' or claimed end goals but had to change for their own good. You don't take a business and run it until it just dies without trying to change your methods. You exhaust all options to keep it afloat. Even with their unlimited data I don't see people flocking to Sprint in record numbers. Not to say people aren't, but it's not some 'write home and write off the other carriers' numbers.
I honestly hope Sprint can keep it up. Do I expect Sprint to have the same data plans 10 years from now? No, I really don't. But I hope I'm wrong!

I have to ask this question. If sprint decided to change it's plans next month before the Evo 3d and stated that if you upgrade you will be rolled into a 2gb or 5 gb plan. 2gb the price is the same and 5gb with a $10.00 increase. How many of you would sign for another two years?
These companies know that phones are our weakness and if you want it bad enough you will sign that contract and pay the upcharge. Simple as that. I am thinking from now on in general that I will just buy my phones straight out from craigslist or ebay because these companies are starting to take advantage at every corner. The new deal with AT&T and Tmobile will make our choices even smaller causing these companies to really bend us over.
Sprint charges more for 4g or premium data and we don't get that. Now if I decide to tether and it goes over 5gb then red flags are thrown up. See they feel like they can stick it to you but when you stick it to them, they drop you like a hot potatoe. When are Americans gonna figure out that these companies are not our friends and at the end of the day the only thing that matters is the Almighty Dollar.

sorry to be off topic, but i'd rail the tmobile girl in a heartbeat...back to topic. Verizon might lower their prices and leave a cap. This would please some people, not me

That weird looking one with the horse mouth? Interesting ...
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Leaked document kills AT&T/T-Mobile case

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Leaked-ATT-Letter-Demolishes-Case-For-TMobile-Merger-115652
Yesterday a partially-redacted document briefly appeared on the FCC website --accidentally posted by a law firm working for AT&T on the $39 billion T-Mobile deal (somewhere there's a paralegal looking for work today). While AT&T engaged in damage control telling reporters that the document contained no new information -- our review of the doc shows that's simply not true. Data in the letter undermines AT&T's primary justification for the massive deal, while highlighting how AT&T is willing to pay a huge premium simply to reduce competition and keep T-Mobile out of Sprint's hands.
We've previously discussed how AT&T's claims of job gains and network investment gained by the deal aren't true, with overall network investment actually being reduced with the elimination of T-Mobile. While AT&T and the CWA are busy telling regulators the deal will increase network investment by $8 billion, out of the other side of their mouth AT&T has been telling investors the deal will reduce investment by $10 billion over 6 years. Based on historical averages T-Mobile would have invested $18 billion during that time frame, which means an overall reduction in investment.
Yet to get the deal approved, AT&T's key talking point to regulators and the press has been the claim that they need T-Mobile to increase LTE network coverage from 80% to 97% of the population. Except it has grown increasingly clear that AT&T doesn't need T-Mobile to accomplish much of anything, and likely would have arrived at 97% simply to keep pace with Verizon. AT&T, who has fewer customers and more spectrum than Verizon (or any other company for that matter), has all the resources and spectrum they need for uniform LTE coverage without this deal.
For the first time the letter pegs the cost of bringing AT&T's LTE coverage from 80% to 97% at $3.8 billion -- quite a cost difference from the $39 billion price tag on the T-Mobile deal. The push for 97% coverage apparently came from AT&T marketing, who was well aware that leaving LTE investment at 80% would leave them at a competitive disadvantage to Verizon. Marketing likely didn't want a repeat of the Luke Wilson map fiasco of a few years back, when Verizon made AT&T look foolish for poor 3G coverage.
The letter also notes that AT&T's supposed decision to "not" build out LTE to 97% was cemented during the first week of January, yet public documents (pdf) indicate that at the same time AT&T was already considering buying T-Mobile, having proposed the deal to Deutsche Telekom on January 15. In the letter, AT&T tries to make it seem like the decision to hold off on that 17% LTE expansion was based on costs. Yet the fact the company was willing to shell out $39 billion one week later, combined with AT&T's track record with these kinds of tactics, suggests AT&T executives knew that 80-97% expansion promise would be a useful carrot on a stick for politicians.
While the $39 billion price certainly delivers AT&T customers, equipment, employees, and spectrum, most of T-Mobile's network replicates AT&T's existing resources in major markets, and T-Mobile's network is significantly less robust in rural markets where AT&T would want to expand. While the deal provides AT&T with a shortcut to sluggish tower builds in a few select markets, by and large AT&T will be faced with terminating many redundant positions and decommissioning a lot of duplicative equipment. They'll also have to close a large number of retail operations and independent retailers.
Again, the reality appears to be that AT&T is giving Deutsche Telekom $39 billion primarily to reduce market competition. That price tag eliminates T-Mobile entirely -- and makes Sprint (and by proxy new LTE partner LightSquared and current partner Clearwire) more susceptible to failure in the face of 80% AT&T/Verizon market domination. How much do you think wireless broadband market dominance is worth to AT&T over the next decade? After all, AT&T will be first to tell you there's a wireless data "tsunami" coming, with AT&T and Verizon on the shore eagerly billing users up to $10 per gigabyte.
Regardless of the motivation behind rejecting 97% LTE deployment, the letter proves AT&T's claim they need T-Mobile to improve LTE coverage from 80-97% simply isn't true. That's a huge problem for AT&T, since nearly every politician and non-profit that has voiced support for the merger did so based largely on this buildout promise. It's also a problem when it comes to the DOJ review, since proof that AT&T could complete their LTE build for far less than the cost of this deal means the deal doesn't meet the DOJ's standard for merger-specific benefits.
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Wow I hope you're right and that this does throw a monkey wrench in the merger review... AT&T has notoriously wretched customer service & this is purely a power grab to squeeze out competition. These commercials about the merger being necessary to expand coverage to underserved populations looks like & smells like PR-spin BS. But, it seems like a lot of big players are coming out in favor of it... It'd be a great time to be an AT&T lobbyist right now.

interesting - but I think most of us were already aware of their false info since the get-go

TexasEpic4G said:
interesting - but I think most of us were already aware of their false info since the get-go
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Maybe we knew, but not most people. I hope it gets denied so Sprint can merge and catch up to the big red and at&t.
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Damn that's a lot of typing on an onscreen keyboard..
Edit: I see you just copied the article into the thread. Good info!

shane6374 said:
Damn that's a lot of typing on an onscreen keyboard..
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To be honest, I copy/pasted. But I could do it with my favorite, Swiftkey X keyboard.
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The merger has big tech industry and political support. If it does happen, we need to look at what assets ATT/TMobile will have to divest to meet approval, and which assets Sprint can buy up.

son of a ***** my ATT stock is going to take a dive on monday

murso74 said:
son of a ***** my ATT stock is going to take a dive on monday
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I'd take a look at Sprint's stock if this merger is declined. lol

Overstew said:
I'd take a look at Sprint's stock if this merger is declined. lol
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I'm planning on grabbing handfuls of it on Monday anyway.

The Root said:
I'm planning on grabbing handfuls of it on Monday anyway.
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Makes me wish I had the money to get into stock trading. But I'm sure it doesn't help that I don't know much about it, haha

Sprint's balance sheet is much too bloated with debt and an uncertain 4G future. I would invest in reliable companies like Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Ford, and Walmart.

I'm glad you posted this not for the info that we already knew but for the fact that this merger should go down in flames now

Reading this made me so happy. I will starting as a retail associate for tmo within the next few weeks (been trying for 3 years!) And I'm def happy about this. **** at&t this merger is horrible and is a completely legit try at market dominance. Sprint needs to pick up tmo, no matter what the outcome of the different tech and spectrum being used is. It would put all 3 companies neck to neck. And since sprint's prices are the **** big red and apples main brown nosers will be force to compete, instead of raping your wallet.
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last thing sprint needs to do is integrate another new tech.

RushAOZ said:
Reading this made me so happy. I will starting as a retail associate for tmo within the next few weeks (been trying for 3 years!) And I'm def happy about this. **** at&t this merger is horrible and is a completely legit try at market dominance. Sprint needs to pick up tmo, no matter what the outcome of the different tech and spectrum being used is. It would put all 3 companies neck to neck. And since sprint's prices are the **** big red and apples main brown nosers will be force to compete, instead of raping your wallet.
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murso74 said:
last thing sprint needs to do is integrate another new tech.
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It's interesting to see both views on the subject. I'm all for Sprint grabbing T-Mobile. If another wireless carrier gets T-Mobile, Sprint will most likely go bankrupt and/or be bought out by another company instead. Sprint's options are to either buy or be bought. (At least that's my view of it).
Sprint's a great company that cares about it's customers, I just wish they were larger because they're the ones that have fair pricing.

Yeap. If I was Google Id pick up sprint and tmo... wasn't there talks about Google acquiring sprint or something. If Google owned its own network apple would be screwed
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RushAOZ said:
Yeap. If I was Google Id pick up sprint and tmo... wasn't there talks about Google acquiring sprint or something. If Google owned its own network apple would be screwed
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http://www.businessinsider.com/sprint-verizon-comcast-google-2011-3
Verizon stated they wouldn't buy Sprint, they're in too much debt (that link I cannot find), however, it was interesting that Comcast might buy Sprint. Then again, same thing. Sprint's too much in debt to be bought out right now. I'm very interested in seeing how this pans out.

Not to mention Google just announced purchasing Motorola Mobile. Verizon carries the most Motorola Products so far so who knows what will happen. What I like is that Motorola also develops and provides set top boxes and cable modems for most cable operators so I think this can help Google bring more into the home tv and internet service area.

that's it... google buys sprint, the att tomobile deal goes through... we have a 3 way race. google undercuts everyones prices, and everyone benifits!
and by everyone i mean me