Breaking News: AT&T To Buy T-Mobile USA for Approximately $39 Billion

[tofuman]

jj what are you the Reuters news service now?

[FuzzyDunlop]

this deal might not happen

take over one year to approve, if at all

This deal is done by Labor Day at the latest for the reasons I've posted. AT&T has gotten everything they've wanted from the government because of the privacy thing, this is no different.

[MJFtheGenius]

I have tmobile

what does this mean

[refrain87]

you have a year of tmobile left. enjoy.

[HoldEmHook!!]

There was a time when T-mobile was VoiceStream. That's when they were only in the Midwestern States in the early 2000's.

they were powertell here in the south in the late 90's

[blackbart]

and now tmobile has no promos?

[Chimneyfish]

monopolies

Monopolies

MONOPOLY!

We need more economics education in our high schools. Although I'm sure Democrats would resist losing all those votes.

[wtf]

We need more economics education in our high schools. Although I'm sure Democrats would resist losing all those votes.

so are you saying this acquisition does not dramatically reduces choices and options for consumers?

[Chimneyfish]

No, I'm saying that "reduced choices" is not the definition of a monopoly. AT&T will still have two other major competitors which prevent it from being able to rise prices and lower service independent of the market.

[FuzzyDunlop]

No, I'm saying that "reduced choices" is not the definition of a monopoly. AT&T will still have two other major competitors which prevent it from being able to rise prices and lower service independent of the market.

The flipside being with only two major competitors, it's much easier to shift from Market Based Pricing towards a Value Based Pricing system. Sprint might come off fantastic in all of this.

[Chimneyfish]

Consolidation in the telecommunications industry in the past decade has brought nothing but benefits for consumers

Before you start howling—"Now there will be just three wireless companies to screw me instead of four"—calm down long enough to read this July 2010 57-page report published by the Government Accountability Office. It found that a decade of industry consolidation had brought lower prices to consumers—"approximately 50 percent less than 1999 prices"—and better coverage. Also, the GAO found, consolidation provided "smoother, more uninterrupted service" in some areas and reduced roaming fees for many customers.