AT&T Tells FCC It’s Ready To Take Over T-Mobile’s Wireless Licenses
It’s official: AT&T (NYSE: T) petitioned the government Thursday to take control of T-Mobile’s wireless licenses, an important step in the process of merging the two wireless carriers but probably not the last time AT&T will have meetings with federal regulators.
The petition and public interest statement released by AT&T are really just formalities and basically repeat the carrier’s talking points in favor of the $39 billion T-Mobile buy: consumers will benefit from improved access to wireless data, the wireless market will still be competitive if T-Mobile is removed from the equation, and service would actually degrade for both carriers if the deal doesn’t go through because of an upcoming spectrum crunch.
Nothing really new there: AT&T has been practicing those lines with gusto ever since it stunned the wireless industry traveling to Orlando for CTIA with news of the deal. It’s going to eventually need to make a compelling case, given how deeply Sprint (NYSE: S) appears to be digging in for a fight opposing the merger as well as public interest organizations, who almost to a group hate the deal.
Thursday’s paperwork was filed with the Federal Communications Commission, but AT&T lawyers will probably wind up spending more time crosstown at the Department of Justice, which will certainly review the deal before it goes through. AT&T is maintaining a Web site dedicated to the deal called MobilizeEverything, where it lays out its case for the merger. The paperwork filed with the FCC can be found here (click for PDF).
One thing is for certain. If AT&T do get this merger approved, their current clientelle, as well as me, who uses a basic SVC phone, will have better service, better reception, and wider coverage. The bad, though, is that AT&T will have ALL of the GSM spectrum, and that never bodes well for the future – regardless of how current service will improve.
Sandjay…spectrum is not technology specific. And, LTE is based on a GSM standard which is what Verizon is deploying so AT&T would not have all of the ”GSM” spectrum and you are thinking. People need to understand this merger truely brings innovation and better coverage and it will not brings higher prices like the brainless masses of sheep keep beeting on with.
People really need to look at the merger for what is will truely bring to the public and not allow for the uninformed few that like to object to everything for the sake of getting their name on the front page. The merger is truely about getting people into innovated products and coverages that they have not had before. That is it and nothing else.