T-Mobile Begs Small Wireless Carriers To Support Its Awful Merger. The Problem: They Hate It Too

T-Mobile Begs Small Wireless Carriers To Support Its Awful Merger. The Problem: They Hate It Too

6 years ago
Anonymous $oIHRkISgaL

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180822/09451340485/t-mobile-begs-small-wireless-carriers-to-support-awful-merger-problem-they-hate-it-too.shtml

We've repeatedly explained how T-Mobile and Sprint's latest attempt to merge will be terrible for both jobs and competition. Despite what T-Mobile and Sprint executives have claimed, history suggests the reduction of total wireless carriers from four to three will likely result in less incentive than ever to seriously compete on price. Similarly, while T-Mobile and Sprint have told regulators that the deal will somehow create an explosion in new jobs, Wall Street analysts have predicted that the deal could kill off anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 jobs as the new company inevitably eliminates redundant positions.

While some diehard T-Mobile and Sprint fans have bought into these claims, most objective observers with a firm grasp on history realize that the promised "synergies" of telecom mergers like this one almost never materialize. And the obvious impact on competition and jobs is a major reason this merger and others like it (including AT&T's attempt to acquire T-Mobile) have been scuttled by regulators. There's simply too many examples of this kind of consolidation resulting in massive monopolies with little incentive to give a damn (hi Comcast and AT&T, didn't see you standing there).