US: Industry leaders clash on state of wireless competition

Verizon Communications testified at a congressional antitrust hearing Wednesday regarding the state of competition in the nation’s wireless industry, touting the market as a model for healthy rivalries.

The remarks follow earlier claims by Verizon rival Sprint that the industry needs greater consolidation. Ahead of the hearing, reports say Sprint released a statement saying that “by any rigorous analysis, the marketplace is not fully competitive today.”

T-Mobile similarly chimed-in to promote the need for “heightened competition” to bring “better service and more options and leads to a virtuous cycle of innovation and adoption with consumers as the ultimate beneficiaries.”

Verizon disagreed, telling the committee that the wireless industry “stands as a global leader in innovation and choice, and is a key driver for national economic growth and maintaining America’s competitive edge in the global economy.”

That stance, Verizon said, is due to regulators’ light touch on the market without too much regulatory interference.

Verizon Wireless executive vice president and general counsel Randal Milch spoke for the company.

The congressional hearing comes weeks after rumors began flying that Sprint could be looking to acquire T-Mobile.

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