T-Mobile event set for October 12th to celebrate the Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II launch

T-Mobile is wasting no time getting everyone excited about their two new flagship smartphones coming this month. The HTC Amaze 4G and Galaxy S II, both set to launch on October 12th and now T-Mobile is sending out invites for everyone to check them out and celebrate with T-Mobile. Just in time to fight the new iPhone 4S that T-Mobile won’t be getting, I’d choose the Galaxy S II either way so I’m not too worried.

Coming up shortly here on Wednesday, October 12th in NYC T-Mobile will be hosting a launch party for the smartphones along with a special performance by a group called The Black Keys, at first I thought it was the Black Eyed Pea’s but quickly was let down. I do see some Netflix in the image above so that is a bit exciting right?
The Amaze 4G was announced late last month, right along with the new Galaxy S II for T-Mobile. You can see the SGSII on video here, and plenty of the new Amaze 4G in these three leaked videos. Both of these new high powered dual-core smartphones will be running the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread and are set to be a great alternative to everything else in the market, Android or not. Taking advantage of T-Mobile’s newest HSPA+ 42 upgraded 4G speeds and more.
What phone will you get come October 12th?

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New MyTouch Phones Appear on T-Mobile’s Site as “Coming Soon”

This whole story has been unconventional so far but believe me when I say that we are not complaining. T-Mobile’s yet again (inadvertently or otherwise) outed their forthcoming myTouch devices. Both are believed to be made by LG with one poised to be an all-touch slate while the other will have a hardware QWERTY.
The MyTouch Q is the one with that keyboard. It’s said to have 4G radios and has a 1500mAh battery. The MyTouch.. er, Touch, is also pictured here in black. It will reportedly have a 1GHz processor and a 5 megapixel camera, though nothing else is known at this time.
Specs listed for both devices are to be taken lightly, though, as T-Mobile probably hasn’t finished filling these pages out to reflect the unique features of each device. We’re only wondering why T-Mobile can’t “leak” every device in this manner. After quite a few slips we can’t imagine they don’t care about secrecy. Check out the pages here and here. [via TmoNews]

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G hitting T-Mobile October 26th

T-Mobile has a few Android tablets up their sleeves. Then just last week T-Mobile confirmed it was coming soon on Twitter. Today we have a leaked calender from the inside stating October 26th for the launch date.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 should be rocking T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ network but no other details or pricing has been revealed. We should see the same Tegra 2 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16 and 32GB variants like usual. The Wi-Fi Tab has received updates to the newest Tab Touch Wiz UX from Samsung but the 4G LTE version is still waiting. Hopefully we see their customizations come out of the box with the T-Mobile version that is coming soon.

This isn’t the only tablet T-Mobile has up their sleeves as we mentioned above. We recently saw a leaked Galaxy Tab Plus sporting T-Mobile frequencies as well so its safe to assume they have a few in the pipelines coming for the holidays. Samsung recently made the Galaxy Tab 7 Plus official, so we could see that hit T-Mobile shelves come this October too. Stay tuned for more details as October 26th gets closer.

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T-Mobile and Walmart offering $30 no contract unlimited 4G plan

Today T-Mobile and Walmart have unveiled a new partnership to offer a pretty great deal for those looking for cheap and reliable 4G service. Announced today and starting come October 16th, users will be able to get into their new $30 unlimited web and text monthly 4G prepaid service plan.

Offering unlimited 4G data with no annual contract for just $30. Although “unlimited” really means 5GB here, that should be enough for most users and we even get unlimited texts too. I like the sound of this T-Mobile. The monthly 4G plan will offer unlimited data and texts, and 100 minutes for users. While 100 minutes might not be a lot and we don’t have 4G LTE here, this is one of the best deals I’ve seen in a while.
One important note is any phone featuring T-Mobiles HSPA+ (4G) network will be able to take advantage of the new $30 unlimited plan (but not offered). So snag a friends old Nexus One, get a G2x used, or even get the upcoming Amaze 4G and enjoy those fast speeds at an unbelievable price and if you start to run out of those 100 minutes, just start texting people. Isn’t that all we do these days anyways — that and social networking?
The offer will start on October 16th and will be available in Walmart stores only. If you were thinking of snagging a no contract 4G plan this is something to consider.

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HTC Amaze 4G caught on video testing T-Mobile speeds and more

We’ve seen plenty of the HTC Amaze 4G as of late, but now we are receiving a few videos showing off everything T-Mobile and the Amaze 4G have to offer. Leaked more than a few times, and then being spotted in the wild earlier this month it was only a matter of time until we caught it on video. Today we have not one, but two videos showing some T-Mobile 4G speedtests and more all available after the break.

Earlier this week on Monday T-Mobile officially announced the new HTC Amaze 4G, coming to the market on October 10th as their first smartphone capable of their new HSPA+ 42 Mbps network speeds. Along with a 4.3″ qHD display and a blazing fast 1.5 GHz dual-core processor this looks to be the new king of the hill over at T-Mobile. Thanks to an anonymous youtuber we now have some videos for you below.



Don’t those speedtest results look impressive? That is faster than the recently reviewed DROID Bionic with Verizon 4G LTE if the tests are accurate. Quadrant results are pretty decent too racking in around 2400 although I’d expect it to be a bit faster with that new 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. Maybe he should use Quadrant Advanced.
Not only that but Ktwist311 wasn’t done with that and has also provided another video showing browser performance based on the new networks speeds and they seem quite great too. Obviously location and many other factors play a role here but it’s nice to get a few early looks of HTC’s newest Flagship smartphone headed to T-Mobile.

[Update]
As a bonus one more video of the Amaze 4G has appeared showing the boot animation, as well as a pretty thorough hardware and software rundown all in this most recently released video from out leakster. This time with much better lighting for everyone to enjoy.



[via YouTube]
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LG myTouch appears on T-Mobile website

It seems that T-Mobile has dropped another hint regarding the upcoming myTouch line of smartphones on their network. Most likely this is only a mistake and no tip at all but what we have here is another sighting of the LG myTouch Q headed for T-Mobile. All previous myTouch devices were manufactured by HTC so this is going in a different direction.

Shown in the image above, the HTC Sensation has been replaced with some sort of unknown device. We’ve already seen this design before and it is the recently leaked LG Mytouch Q saw a few weeks back. We’ve seen leaks that suggest two models of the myTouch will be released, one being a slider but nothing has been confirmed although this is the second sighting this month.

If you look at the image above, a few Chrome users pointed out that after right clicking and inspecting the elements of the web page (awesome Chrome feature btw) you can clearly see the image being labeled as the “LG myTouch”. Looks like someone over at T-Mobile had a little oopsies and uploaded the wrong image. We still don’t know much regarding this new LG smartphone although the earlier leaks suggested a possible 1280 x 720p HD display and two models coming to town. At this rate we should know plenty more soon so sit back and wait for more details, as they are on their way.
[via TmoNews]
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Google seeks to protect confidential Android information in AT&T/T-Mobile merger case

Google has filed a petition with the judge presiding over the case between the Justice Department and AT&T over AT&T's proposed purchase of T-Mobile asking to keep confidential data about Android from being disclosed to the public. Google had provided the information to the Justice Department as part of its investigation into the proposed purchase.
According to Google, the data is "competitively sensitive" and is in regards to internal products and launch plans for unannounced devices. It asked the judge to require both sides of the suit to give it advanced notice of possible disclosures in court or to outside experts.
"Without such additional protection, Google and other non- parties could find their confidential information - such as Google's business plans related to Android - in the hands of competitors (or their competitors' consultants), or even in newspapers, without having had prior notice of its disclosure," said Google in its petition.
The trial is set to begin on February 13 of next year. [via Bloomberg]

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HTC Amaze 4G officially announced for T-Mobile, Coming October 10th

Today at GigaOm Mobilize 2011, T-Mobile has just officially announced the new and much rumored HTC Amaze 4G. Coming in October both the Amaze 4G and Samsung Galaxy S II will take advantage of T-Mobiles new HSPA+ 42 network technology. The Amaze 4G features a 1.5 Ghz dual-core processor and should be one awesome phone, more details can be found below.

Original leaks suggested a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm snapdragon dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, 4.3″ qHD diplsay, an 8 MP camera with dual LED flash (same great camera as the myTouch 4G Slide), as well as a front camera for video chat. Those have all been officially confirmed along with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and HTC Sense UI. We originally thought this would launch with Sense UI 3.5 but the press shot above clearly shows that is not the case.
The HTC Amaze 4G will support the new, faster HSPA+ 42 network on T-Mobile for enhanced data speeds, and will also come with full NFC capabilities. We should see Google Wallet for the Amaze 4G shortly.
Over on T-Mobile.com the HTC Amaze 4G will be available starting October 10th, and will hit retail stores on Wednesday, October 12th for $259.99 and will come with a $50 mail in rebate.
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AT&T, T-Mobile Antitrust Suit Spurs FCC to Restart Special Access Inquiry

The Federal Communications Commission announced that the agency was asking for new data on the pricing and the competitive environment around the Special Access market.

Special Access has come to the surface because of its inclusion as a major point in the antitrust complaints by Sprint and Cellular South in the AT&T–T-Mobile antitrust lawsuit. However, Special Access goes far beyond the needs of wireless companies.

While Special Access is getting a lot of attention right now because wireless companies use the DS1, DS3 and Ethernet lines that make up the Special Access infrastructure for their backhaul from cell towers. But in reality, virtually every company that uses any kind of external network access is using Special Access in one way or another. This means the pricing and competitive information that the FCC gathers, and uses for any subsequent ruling, can directly affect the bottom line of your business.

The timing of the announcement coincides with the antitrust action by the Department of Justice, but that wasn’t intentional. In fact, left to its own devices, the FCC probably would never have moved. It required a Writ of Mandamus filed by the Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committeeand several other public interest groups to force the FCC to move forward. The Ad Hoc group has already asked the FCC to take action to force the transparency and competition it thinks is necessary.

According to Maura Corbett, executive director of NoChokePoint, the two largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon, are overcharging on the order of $10 billion per year for Special Access. “We are very anxious to get the data and have the commission rule appropriately based on their data,” Corbett said. “This has been open since 2005. We’re still waiting.” Both groups have filed petitions to deny the transfer of licenses in connection with the AT&T–T-Mobile merger. NoChokePoint is an advocacy group focused on Special Access.
“We would like to get to the point where it’s acknowledged that the market has collapsed,” Corbett said, “and we want to see competition and openness.” Corbett noted that it was clear that there was no competition when the FCC deregulated Special Access, and the prices immediately went up.

Colleen Boothby, the attorney who represents the Ad Hoc Telecom Users Committee also studied the effects of deregulation. “We noticed that whenever the Commission deregulated Special Access, the price went up. When they broke out earnings, they (the carriers) were making up to 135 percent profit,” Boothby said. “In a competitive market you can’t get earnings like that.”

Boothby’s organization is comprised of Fortune 500 companies that use Special Access in their telecommunications environment. The membership list is kept secret because in the past, the two major carriers, AT&T and Verizon, took retaliatory action against them, Boothby said.

But the fact is that telecom charges are a major cost factor for nearly every business, and with profit margins of up to 135 percent, greater control over costs through competition or regulation would dramatically reduce the overhead for most businesses. The problem right now is that the two major carriers won’t tell you what their profit margin is because the FCC removed that requirement eight years ago. Prior to that, there was customer pressure to keep the margins within reason.

What’s interesting is that the docket item at the FCC was originally opened at the request of Jim Cicconi, who is AT&T’s chief lobbyist, and who is now fighting the FCC action. But at the time of the request, AT&T hadn’t merged and was forced to buy Special Access services. Now that AT&T and Verizon are providing the Special Access lines, the two companies have formed an effective duopoly in that business. Small operators are complaining that they are frozen out of the business by predatory practices.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same argument Sprint is making regarding the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. Sprint may have a point, It’s already dealing with an effective duopoly in its backhaul and in its complaint is claiming that the costs associated with the backhaul charges are anti-competitive.

Of course, AT&T and Verizon have to pay Special Access charges when they cross over into each other’s territory. The difference is that they’re paying each other for the same services and this effectively cancels out any charges. of course, neither company is willing to say how much it pays the other for Special Access, so they can set the price to the other as high or low as they wish. But in effect Special Access is free for them.

The Special Access market provides a good look at the future of the wireless market if the merger with T-Mobile goes through. You’ll have a duopoly that can charge whatever they want, provide whatever services and products they want because customers don’t really have an alternative. There will still be a few small players in the wireless market just as there are a few small providers now in the Special Access market, all of which are slowly being marginalized. Not a pretty picture, but that’s what’s happened in Special Access, and it could be the future for Wireless as well.

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AT&T, T-Mobile court date set for merger hearing

For those of you that had high hopes for the AT&T and T-Mobile merger, U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle set the non-jury trial for February 13th, 2012. A compromise between AT&T’s requested date for January 16th, and the government’s requested date of March 19th. Though Judge Huvelle had set aside 6 months for the trial, lawyers from both AT&T and the Department of Justice believe that the trial will be settled short of the allotted time.

Earlier, Sprint’s attempt to have their case merged with the Department of Justice was blocked by the very same judge. A loss on the part of AT&T would prove to be truly devastating as the company could potentially lose up to $6 billion dollars should the merger not go through. However, even if the merger does happen to fail, AT&T seems confident that they could still avoid the breakage fee under “a number of options”.
That said, the only potential loser should this merger fail is AT&T. T-Mobile users face little to lose as AT&T has already stated that should the merger go through, T-Mobile customers would still be able to maintain their current plans as previously announced. Though the merger would reduce competition in the U.S., a consolidated network would allow provide an ailing AT&T with a greater number of accessible towers, and would add to their available bandwidth for use with their 4G network.
[via TmoNews]

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AT&T claims you can keep your T-Mobile plan and rate after merger

If you are one of the many users over on T-Mobile that have been wondering what will happen during and after this AT&T-Mobile merger goes though (if it does), AT&T and T-Mobile have outlined a few more details to put users at ease. AT&T is now saying users will be able to keep their current rate and plan after the merger goes through, even after your contract expires from T-Mobile. This is great news for many of the long time T-Mo customers with amazing grandfathered-in plans like myself.

AT&T may be eating T-Mobile like the image above, but it appears they wont be eating all the rates and plans — at first at least. According to the documents shown below it appears they will be grandfathering most customers plans for when the merger to AT&T starts. We knew they’d be allowing the plans to continue for the most part but to now know even after plans expire users will be able to continue with the same rate and plan should make many feel more comfortable with the idea of switching to the AT&T world.

Just as TmoNews states we were wondering the same thing regarding the future. What will happen when users want to upgrade their phone, and what about making small changes to a plan? Will this require you to lose what you’ve been using and sign into a new deal completely different than what you had before. These details I’m sure will continue to be explained and detailed as things move forward but with a merger this big there is bound to be some bumps along the way. For now we’ll just have to wait and see what the DOJ has to say about the deal.
[via TmoNews]

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Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus with T-Mobile spotted

TmoNews has just released images of the next generation Samsung Galaxy Tab headed for T-mobile. Though the pictures reveal little of the software on the device, they clearly show a profile of the device’s hardware.

The successor to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7″ has just been spotted in the wild. It will run on T-Mobile’s 4g network, with Android 3.2 and a version of Samsung’s Touchwiz interface that was described the source as “phenomenal” and “simple and fun.” Whether or not this device is in line with the Galaxy Tab 7.7 that was recently shown in Berlin is unknown at this point.
This may also be the same Samsung tablet that had been rumored to replace the sold out Galaxy Tab on T-Mobile. That device was found to have a Super-AMOLED/Plus screen 1024×600 and a Cortex-A9 processor. Pricing and availability of the tablet are unknown and we have yet to hear an official release from Samsung themselves.

[via TmoNews] )

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T-Mobile holding one day sale, All smartphones under $99

If you are one of the many that call themselves a bargain shopper this upcoming deal from T-Mobile is one you wont want to miss. Starting Saturday T-Mobile will be having what they are calling their Yes, Every Smartphone Is on Sale, Sale”. T-Mobile will be offering all of their popular smartphones and smart devices like the LG G-slate and more all for the low low price of under $99 dollars. Obviously with an amazing deal like so there are a few catches, more details below.

As with any awesome deal you can expect to have to jump through a few hoops or sign your life away, and here we must do both. In order to quality users must sign a “new” 2-year contract as well as deal with a pesky mail in rebate, but when all is said and done you’ll have an awesome phone or tablet at a steal of a price.

From Crackberries to the HTC Sensation, Exhibit 4G and everything in between all devices are on sale from $0-$99 dollars with Saturday’s one day sale. Unless you sign a new 2-year contract the deal isn’t much of a deal except for the mail in rebate part based on the device you plan to snag. Either way a deal is a deal and figured you’d love to hear about it and run down to your nearest T-Mobile come Saturday. More details are available at T-mobile.com
[via SlashGear]

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AT&T Offers to Sell T-Mobile Assets to Sprint, Others

Bloomberg has reported that AT&T’s contracted Sprint, MetroPCS, Leap Wireless, CenturyLink and Dish Network in order to negotiate the sale of T-Mobile assets in order to gain approval for their proposed merger. This is likely in response to early reports that suggested AT&T would most likely need to go this route in order to persuade anti-trust regulators and the FCC that their moves aren’t to stifle competition.

Talks are supposedly preliminary for the time being with no carrier or firm coming to concrete terms with AT&T on this possible sale. Bloomberg reports that the department of justice may not even consider the sale of assets a huge band-aid for AT&T’s case. That ruling could come to if AT&T offers assets of low value to their competitors. We’d think spectrum would be the most valuable but AT&T’s acquisition is all about that, according to them. It will be an interesting few months, for sure. [Bloomberg]

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Seven states oppose AT&T-T-Mobile merger

Bad news for AT&T and those in favor of the carrier’s attempted acquisition of T-Mobile. It looks like the Department of Justice has garnered more troops in support of opposing the merger. It has been reported that seven states will be backing the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against AT&T. The seven states against the merger are: New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania. With over a third of the American population, living in these states combined, it looks like AT&T doesn’t really have a lot of support from the public. There’s still no telling if the deal will go through or not, but for now, the chances are definitely looking slim.

Here is a statement from Craig Aaron, president of Free Press:

“We applaud the attorneys general who joined the Justice Department’s suit today to block AT&T’s takeover of T-Mobile. They deserve praise for standing up to AT&T and standing with their citizens. They understand that families can’t afford to shoulder the burden of higher bills that would result from the merger, and that states struggling with unemployment can’t afford to stand aside while corporations kill competition and put people out of work. This lawsuit is yet another blow to AT&T and a victory for the public.
“AT&T’s propaganda and political posturing aren’t working in the face of such overwhelming opposition and evidence against this deal. Both the attorneys general and the Justice Department examined the facts of the case, and the facts are clear: This merger will raise prices, kill competition and put thousands of Americans out of work at a time of skyrocketing unemployment.”

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Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile sporting different dual-core processor

While all variants of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S II are running on a 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor made in house by Samsung known as the Exynos SOC. New details have now confirmed what was previously just a rumor that the T-Mobile version will in fact be running with a different processor from the rest of the pack.

The reason is still unknown but along with previous leaks of the Samsung Hercules it’s looking more likely that it will be powered by a 1.2 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead. This goes along with all recent reports as well as the initial leak of the Samsung Hercules way back in May. The Hercules is the codename for the T-Mobile Galaxy S II in case you didn’t know and now things are finally coming together.
The Galaxy S II for T-Mobile was just recently officially announced and we were there live to get some hands-on time with the device. Original details on launch date suggest the Samsung Exynos chip but newer reports are claiming what we’ve mentioned above so for now this is just “confirmed” speculation. We have heard reports regarding the processor being Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon APQ8060 from the HP TouchPad and not what is in current phones like the Sensation 4G and EVO 3D so stay tuned as we dig for more details regarding this upcoming superphone.
[via PocketNow]

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T-Mobile and Sprint Should Merge: 10 Reasons Why

The wireless industry is in a state of flux right now. Earlier this year, when AT&T announced plans to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom in a deal valued at $39 billion, there was immediate concern for the future of the industry.

The critics said that the merger would create a “duopoly” comprised of Verizon and AT&T that controlled 75 percent of the wireless market and 90 percent of the profits that dwarfed Sprint. As a result the wireless market would lose all semblance of real competition and Sprint would be forced to sell out to Verizon or be crushed out of existence.

But last month, the U.S. Department of Justice gave Sprint a reprieve by filing suit in the District of Columbia, seeking an injunction against the merger on the ground that it was anticompetitive and violated federal antitrust law. On Sept. 6 Sprint filed its own antitrust lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the merger.

The FCC, which also must approve the deal, has expressed some concern over the merger, but has yet to make a final determination on whether to allow the transfer of wireless licenses required by the deal. While AT&T can fight the lawsuits in court, it looks like the legal damage is fatal.

However, perhaps another deal could be forged from the ruins of this one. The way it looks right now, the market would be well-served if Sprint and T-Mobile combine forces to take on AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. wireless business. Not only will it create a more competitive environment, but Verizon and AT&T might just start to worry. With the current state of competition in the industry, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Read on to find out why Sprint and T-Mobile USA should merge.

1. The government would approve it

After the Department of Justice announced that it would not support the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA, the organization said that the issue was that the two companies combined would hurt competition in the marketplace. However, if Sprint and T-Mobile USA merge, there would be less fear of that. Even combined, the two companies would be smaller than Verizon and AT&T. If they were to merge, it would simply create three big companies in the space, rather than two big firms and two smaller companies. In other words, it’s quite likely that the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint would be approved.

2. Both companies need each other

Although they’re both performing relatively well in their own right, T-Mobile and Sprint need each other. The companies are much smaller than their chief competitors in the space and neither of them have the iPhone to help bolster sales. They’re both fighting an uphill battle that they can’t win on their own. But together, all that could change.

3. AT&T and Verizon would face real competition

As it stands right now, there isn’t anything that would make AT&T or Verizon worry about their positions in the market. The two firms know that they can’t combine and they realize that there isn’t a single company that will be able to push them off their thrones. However, a combined Sprint and T-Mobile would put the companies on notice. Gone would be the days when Verizon and AT&T don’t need to look in the rearview mirror. With a bigger third-place company to compete with, AT&T and Verizon would be far more likely to respond with better service, improved phones, reasonable prices and other tricks to cement their positions as leaders in the wireless business.

4. They’re investing heavily in infrastructure

Both T-Mobile and Sprint are investing heavily in 4G networking. The companies realize that it’s the future and they don’t want to be left behind as the bigger companies in the market continue to dump billions into their networks. However, if they merged, they would be able to combine their technology investment efforts and over the long-term, generate profits that will allow them to keep growing. Both Sprint and T-Mobile have the same goal in mind; now they just need to combine their efforts.

5. Consolidation will eventually happen

Like it or not, the wireless industry is poised for consolidation. AT&T might not be allowed to combine with T-Mobile USA at this juncture, but in the next several years, expect at least one other company to acquire another and for that deal to eventually be approved as the market continues to fluctuate. Before that happens, why shouldn’t Sprint and T-Mobile insulate themselves and merge? It would cut off future consolidation threats, and it would make the combined firm far more competitive. It’s a win-win.

6. Deutsche Telekom obviously wants a deal

Deutsche Telekom, the company that owns T-Mobile USA, is obviously ready and willing to accept a deal to get out of the U.S. business. After all, the firm readily accepted AT&T’s bid, even though it has gone out of its way to take aim at the wireless giant in the past. But it might not take much for Deutsche Telekom to bite on a merger with Sprint. The deal won’t be nearly as big, but it could expect to own a much larger share of Sprint to make the deal happen. In the AT&T deal, Deutsche Telekom was only promised 8 percent of AT&T. That wouldn’t happen in a Sprint deal.

7. Greater economies of scale

One of the nice things about merging is that the newly formed company can benefit from economies of scale. The firms could spend less in infrastructure, reduce capital spending, find areas to save money on their workforces, and more. The result would be a more agile company that would be better-equipped to take on Verizon and AT&T.

8. Maybe Apple will come along

So far, Apple has balked at bringing its iPhone to Sprint or T-Mobile’s network. Some have speculated that the decision is due mainly to Apple’s desire to maximize its chances of selling devices, and with a fraction of the number of customers AT&T and Verizon has, the iPhone maker sees little reason to bring its handset to Sprint or T-Mobile. However, if the firms do merge, all that could change. Now, Apple would have three large companies it could sell its iPhone to and all parties would benefit.

9. More options would be offered to customers

One of the problems in a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile is that the companies are currently operating their networks on different technologies. Sprint uses CDMA, while T-Mobile uses GSM. However, that might not be such a bad thing. Perhaps the company can use that to offer more choice to customers. Those that want GSM can have that. Those that are looking for CDMA can opt for that technology. Or, if it wants, the firm can just invest heavily in GSM and allow CDMA to gradually fade away, thus helping extend T-Mobile’s service nationwide. In either case, it appears customers could benefit heavily from a merger.

10. A pricing war?

The wireless industry is unlike any other. Rather than several companies differentiating their products to attract customers, the wireless carriers today offer the same basic plans at the same prices. In fact, if one compares an individual 700-minute plan from Verizon and AT&T, they’ll find that they’re offered at the same price. However, both T-Mobile and Sprint have not followed suit in every case. Sprint still has unlimited data, and T-Mobile offers attractive plan pricing. Perhaps if the two firms combine, a pricing war will ensue, and customers, looking for the best deal, might just benefit.

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Sprint sues to block AT&T/T-Mobile merger

Sprint announced on Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit with a federal court in the U.S. District of Columbia in an effort to block AT&T’s planned $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom. The suit is related to the Department of Justice’s lawsuit, which was filed on August 31st. “Sprint opposes AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile,” Sprint’s vice president of litigation Suzan Haller said. “With today’s legal action, we are continuing that advocacy on behalf of consumers and competition, and expect to contribute our expertise and resources in proving that the proposed transaction is illegal.” Sprint argued that the merger will “harm retail consumers and corporate customers by causing higher prices and less innovation” and said it will “entrench the duopoly of AT&T and Verizon” by allowing those two carriers 90% of U.S. wireless profits and more than three quarters of the market. Sprint also said the merger would “harm Sprint and other independent wireless carriers” and would give AT&T control of backhaul, roaming and wireless spectrum. AT&T responded to the DOJ’s suit last week and said the deal is in the best interest of consumers and the “facts will prevail in court.”  Read on for the full press release from Sprint.

Sprint Files Suit to Block Proposed AT&T and T-Mobile Transaction
WASHINGTON (BUSINESS WIRE), September 06, 2011 – Sprint Nextel [NYSE:S] today brought suit against AT&T, Inc., AT&T Mobility, Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile seeking to block the proposed acquisition as a violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia as a related case to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) suit against the proposed acquisition.
“Sprint opposes AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile,” said Susan Z. Haller, vice president-Litigation, Sprint. “With today’s legal action, we are continuing that advocacy on behalf of consumers and competition, and expect to contribute our expertise and resources in proving that the proposed transaction is illegal.”

Sprint’s lawsuit focuses on the competitive and consumer harms which would result from a takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T. The proposed takeover would:

• Harm retail consumers and corporate customers by causing higher prices and less innovation.
• Entrench the duopoly control of AT&T and Verizon, the two “Ma Bell” descendants, of the almost one-quarter of a trillion dollar wireless market. As a result of the transaction, AT&T and Verizon would control more than three-quarters of that market and 90 percent of the profits.

• Harm Sprint and the other independent wireless carriers. If the transaction were to be allowed, a combined AT&T and T-Mobile would have the ability to use its control over backhaul, roaming and spectrum, and its increased market position to exclude competitors, raise their costs, restrict their access to handsets, damage their businesses and ultimately to lessen competition.

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With or without AT&T/T-Mobile merger, analyst says Sprint already lost

Lead by chief executive Dan Hesse, Sprint has likely been the most vocal opponent of AT&T’s proposed $39 billion T-Mobile USA acquisition. The Department of Justice announced last week that it was filing a lawsuit in an attempt to block the deal, and while AT&T was none too happy with the news, Sprint predictably responded by applauding the DOJ’s decision to fight the merger. But even if the merger is blocked, Sprint has arguably already lost to AT&T and Verizon Wireless according to Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher King. “It essentially maintains the status quo, which, given the results of Sprint over the last couple of years, is not the best place to be,” King told The New York Times. Read on for more.
As Sprint continues to shed subscribers at an alarming rate — the nation’s No. 3 carrier lost 101,000 postpaid subscribers last quarter — analysts are rightfully beginning to wonder how Sprint’s situation will improve if AT&T and T-Mobile do not merge. With the amount of time and resources Sprint is putting into fighting the acquisition, this is certainly a valid question. The addition of Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected by some to bolster Sprint’s business when it launches next month, but each of the four major wireless carriers in the U.S. will carry the handset beginning next month according to reports. As such, the addition of the iPhone 5 could do more to increase smartphone sales among Sprint’s current subscriber base — and put more stress on the carrier’s network thanks to its unlimited data plans — than it will to attract new business.

Sprint’s 4G plans also weigh heavily on investors’ minds right now. Sprint announced plans to adopt 4G LTE in addition to its WiMAX services in a deal with LightSquared worth $13.5 billion for the carrier over the next 15 years. LightSquared is having issues with its LTE build-out however, as its spectrum is found to interfere with frequencies used by GPS services. Sprint’s WiMAX partner Clearwire is also planning to adopt LTE, but only if it can find the cash. Sprint is expected to discuss its 4G strategy next month during a press event on October 7th, where BGR will be reporting live.

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AT&T tempts FCC, promises to bring 5,000 jobs back to U.S. if T-Mobile merger is approved

AT&T said on Wednesday that it promises to bring 5,000 of its outsourced call center jobs back to the United States if its proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA is approved by the FCC. AT&T also promised that it will not layoff any AT&T or T-Mobile call center employee who is employed at the time of the merger. In addition, AT&T will invest $8 billion in its U.S. infrastructure and the Economic Policy Institute has suggested that move could provide up to 96,000 new jobs. AT&T made its announcement hours before the United States Justice Department filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger. “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market,” the Justice Department said. AT&T responded and said that “there was no indication” from the DOJ that a lawsuit was being contemplated. “We remain confident that this merger is in the best interest of consumers and our country, and the facts will prevail in court,” AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel Wayne Watts said, noting that AT&T will continue to fight for the merger’s approval. Read on for the full press release from AT&T.

AT&T to Bring 5,000 Call Center Jobs Back to U.S. Following T-Mobile Merger Closing
Commits Merger Will Not Result in Job Losses for Existing U.S. Wireless Call Center Employees of T-Mobile and AT&T
Largest Return of Jobs by Any U.S. Company Since 2008
DALLAS, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today committed that after closing its proposed merger with T-Mobile USA, it will bring back 5,000 wireless call center jobs to the United States that today are outsourced to other countries.
Today’s commitment results from AT&T developing detailed analysis focused specifically on identifying opportunities with the T-Mobile merger to bring good-paying wireless call center jobs back to the United States.
In addition to bringing jobs back, AT&T committed that the merger will not result in any job losses for U.S.-based wireless call center employees of T-Mobile USA or AT&T, who are on the payroll when the merger closes.
The 5,000 new wireless call center jobs at AT&T will offer among the nation’s most highly competitive wages and benefits. AT&T, which has not yet determined where in the U.S. the new jobs will be located, is the nation’s largest employer of full-time union employees and the only unionized major U.S. wireless carrier.
“At a time when many Americans are struggling and our economy faces significant challenges, we’re pleased that the T-Mobile merger allows us to bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States and significantly increase our investment here,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T Chairman and CEO. “This merger and today’s commitment are good for our employees, our customers and our country.”
Today’s announcement represents the largest commitment by an individual American company to bring jobs back to the U.S. since the economic crisis began in 2008.
Also, AT&T has committed as part of the T-Mobile merger to increase its U.S. infrastructure investment by more than $8 billion.  According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute that was commissioned by the Communications Workers of America, AT&T’s increased investment is estimated to produce up to approximately 96,000 new U.S. jobs.
AT&T said today’s jobs commitment does not change its previous guidance on the expected overall merger synergies.
Beyond the jobs created, AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA provides a fast, efficient and certain solution to the impending exhaustion of wireless spectrum in many markets, which limits both companies’ ability to meet the ongoing explosive customer demand for mobile broadband. The uniquely complementary nature of AT&T and T-Mobile’s network assets will allow the combined company to add wireless network capacity – the functional equivalent of new spectrum – sooner than any other alternative.
This additional wireless network capacity will enable AT&T to offer better service — fewer dropped and blocked calls, and faster data speeds. Plus, the economic scale, additional spectrum and other benefits resulting from the merger will enable AT&T to deliver high-speed 4G LTE mobile broadband service to 97 percent of the U.S. population, or 55 million more Americans than it would without the merger. Reaching 97 percent of the population with LTE will create a much more extensive and robust mobile broadband platform that will fuel growth and investment throughout the country.

The benefits of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger have been recognized by numerous elected officials throughout the country, including 27 governors, more than 100 mayors, 11 state attorneys general, 79 Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and more than 150 chambers of commerce from 40 states, as well as a dozen labor unions and dozens of high-tech companies, such as Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo! and Oracle.

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