U.S. Government Moving to Block AT&T's Acquisition of T-Mobile - MacRumors
Skip to Content

U.S. Government Moving to Block AT&T's Acquisition of T-Mobile

att_logoBloomberg reports that the U.S. government filed a complaint today seeking a court order to block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile. Antitrust concerns are at the heart of the complaint:

AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market.

AT&T first announced its intent to acquire T-Mobile in March, stating that the merger would increase the company's network quality and expand the reach of its LTE capabilities.

AT&T was the only carrier offering the iPhone in the U.S. from its release in 2007 until its exclusive agreement ended earlier this year when Verizon began offering the iPhone 4 in February.

Although T-Mobile has never been an official iPhone carrier in the U.S., the company claimed that over one million iPhones were running on its network earlier this summer. Just last week there were reports that T-Mobile USA would begin offering the iPhone 5 at its release, which is widely expected in October.

Popular Stories

Apple Wallet

iOS 27 Will Add Two New Apple Wallet Features to Your iPhone

Monday June 1, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and the update will reportedly include two new Apple Wallet features. First, iOS 27 will reportedly let users create their own digital passes by scanning items like movie tickets, concert passes, and gym membership cards. Many apps already offer Apple Wallet passes, but now users will be able to create a custom...
HomePod mini and Apple TV Sage

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are 'Nearly Ready' to Launch, New Siri Remote Also Rumored

Sunday May 31, 2026 8:47 am PDT by
New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said. "I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Battery Capacities Allegedly Leaked

Tuesday June 2, 2026 1:54 am PDT by
Battery capacities for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro have allegedly surfaced, and the numbers suggest only a modest increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. According to prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station, Apple is testing the iPhone 18 Pro with different battery capacities for the China and U.S. versions of the device, similar to last year's iPhone 17 Pro models. The Chinese model is ...

Top Rated Comments

NT1440 Avatar
193 months ago
Thank god, AT&T is bigger today than it was when it had to be split up all those years ago. The only reason cell companies have been allowed to get this big is because their lobbyists managed to convince congress that wireless connectivity shouldn't be subject to the same regulations that physical landline services are.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Geckotek Avatar
193 months ago
I hope they are successful. This was a bad move for consumers.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saving107 Avatar
193 months ago
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-31/u-s-files-antitrust-complaint-to-block-proposed-at-t-t-mobile-merger.html

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/31/us-government-files-to-block-propsed-atandt-t-mobile-merger/

Discuss!
Is this becoming a new thing now on this forum,

1. Start a new thread
2. Post some links
3. Followed by the word "Discuss" and nothing else.

I've been noticing this more and more and I'm puzzled as to why.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
193 months ago
why?

Probably because he has AT&t and misery loves company
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soco Avatar
193 months ago
This is GREAT news!

I was truly afraid the DOJ wouldn't have the balls to step in, so I'm absolutely, and pleasantly surprised.

GET 'EM BOYS!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr Maui Avatar
193 months ago
Apple Acquisition ??

Perhaps Apple should acquire T-Mobile now, expand to build their own cell network, and screw them all! :D
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)