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US: FCC solicits comments on T-Mobile acquisition of Sprint

By  |  July 23, 2018

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now accepting comments from the public about T-Mobile’s proposed US$26 billion acquisition of Sprint.

The companies said in April that they had agreed to merge, which would leave the country with only three major wireless carriers. T-Mobile and Sprint combined have around 100 million wireless customers, while Verizon has roughly 116 million and AT&T has around 93 million.

T-Mobile and Sprint previously tried to join forces in 2014, when Sprint agreed to acquire T-Mobile for around US$32 billion. The companies canceled their plans after federal regulators expressed antitrust concerns.

The wireless companies said in a recent regulatory filing that they plan to invest nearly US$40 billion to roll out a nationwide 5G network if the merger goes through.

Some observers, including Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have expressed concerns that increased consolidation will lead to higher prices for consumers.

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