Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Sprint and T-Mobile Merger Back on the Table as SoftBank Agrees to Cede Control of Sprint
Sprint parent company SoftBank is prepared to sell Sprint to T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom, reviving a potential merger between the two companies, reports Reuters.
According to unnamed sources that spoke to the site, SoftBank is reportedly frustrated with Sprint's growth in the United States and is ready to surrender control of the company and take a minority stake in T-Mobile.
Back in 2013, before T-Mobile soared in popularity, the situation was reversed. Sprint was prepared to purchase T-Mobile in a deal said to be worth more than $20 billion, but Sprint abandoned its plans in 2014 amid regulatory scrutiny, deciding that it would be too difficult to win approval from regulators.
At the time, U.S. antitrust officials reportedly told Sprint that having four national carriers in the United States was important to maintaining a competitive market. AT&T also once attempted to purchase T-Mobile, but that deal fell through too after being blocked by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.
Given T-Mobile's recent success, Deutsche Telekom is no longer interested in selling the company, leaving SoftBank to pursue another merger strategy.
Sprint and T-Mobile will likely face the same regulatory scrutiny if a potential purchase deal is reached between the two.
According to unnamed sources that spoke to the site, SoftBank is reportedly frustrated with Sprint's growth in the United States and is ready to surrender control of the company and take a minority stake in T-Mobile.
Back in 2013, before T-Mobile soared in popularity, the situation was reversed. Sprint was prepared to purchase T-Mobile in a deal said to be worth more than $20 billion, but Sprint abandoned its plans in 2014 amid regulatory scrutiny, deciding that it would be too difficult to win approval from regulators.
At the time, U.S. antitrust officials reportedly told Sprint that having four national carriers in the United States was important to maintaining a competitive market. AT&T also once attempted to purchase T-Mobile, but that deal fell through too after being blocked by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.
Given T-Mobile's recent success, Deutsche Telekom is no longer interested in selling the company, leaving SoftBank to pursue another merger strategy.
Sprint and T-Mobile will likely face the same regulatory scrutiny if a potential purchase deal is reached between the two.
Investors have said a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, ranked third and fourth respectively, would still face antitrust challenges, but made strategic sense as the industry moves to fifth-generation wireless technology. Carriers will need to spend billions of dollars to upgrade to 5G networks that promise to be 10 times to 100 times faster than current speeds.The two companies have not yet started to discuss a deal because of strict anti-collusion rules that are in place during an ongoing spectrum auction. The auction, which is being overseen by the FCC, ends on March 30, and negotiations are expected to begin at that time.
While SoftBank is still open to discussing other options, it is now willing to surrender control of Sprint and retain a minority stake in a merger with T-Mobile, the sources said. They asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential.
[ 145 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
33 months ago
Merging two bad networks sounds like a wonderful idea.
My local T-Mobile network is great. Another comment from someone who isn't an customer.
33 months ago
How about no? The past few years have shown how good it is that we've had lots of competition between wireless carriers. We need MORE competition, not less.
The most recent example is everyone offering unlimited plans again right after Verizon decided to do so.
The most recent example is everyone offering unlimited plans again right after Verizon decided to do so.
33 months ago
Merging two bad networks sounds like a wonderful idea.
T-Mobile is way better than you think.
33 months ago
Merging two bad networks sounds like a wonderful idea.
Maybe if they combine the companies, people would actually get coverage :).
This may have been the case many years ago, but things have improved a lot with T-Mobile since. To their credit they invested the money from the failed AT&T acquisition into their network, plus picked up a bunch of 700 MHz spectrum. I've had them for a few years and have had good coverage traveling all over the country. I just hope a merger won't affect their competitive plans.
33 months ago
Merging two bad networks sounds like a wonderful idea.
Maybe if they combine the companies, people would actually get coverage :).
33 months ago
Isn't Sprint CDMA whereas T-Mobile is GSM? Seems that this would only be an acquisition of customer base and the Sprint hardware would need to be phased out as customers migrate to GSM devices (or compatible) devices over time.
33 months ago
I say go for it. I hope it goes through this time. Sprint is dying anyways and barely trying to survive against the other top 3. Maybe T-Mobile buying out Sprint will give Deutsche Telekom the edge to give AT&T and Verizon a run for their money.
[ Read All Comments ]
Apple today sent out emails to customers about its latest Apple Pay promo, which will see the company donating $10 to the National Park Foundation for Apple Pay purchases made from the Apple...
We're just a few weeks away from the unveiling of this year's iPhone lineup as well as the official release of iOS 13 and Apple's other new operating system versions, and we're...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with RAVPower to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 61W USB-C Power Adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable, which can be used to fast charge...
Satechi this summer launched its first HomeKit-compatible product, the Dual Smart Outlet, a HomeKit plug that turns dumb appliances and electronics into smart electronics that can work alongside...
As we head into the weekend, there are a few notable deals going on today that include an all-new MacRumors exclusive offer from Eve, Best Buy's anniversary sale with lowest-ever iPad prices, and...
Version 7 of Heart Analyzer was released today, and the popular third-party heart-rate app for iPhone and Apple Watch has gained some additional features for users looking for even deeper insight...
Apple today seeded the seventh beta of watchOS 6, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new beta comes a week after the sixth beta and two months after Apple first unveiled the new watchOS...
Apple today seeded seventh beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth beta and two months after unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers...
