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25 Nov 2011 11:38

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Biz, U.S.: Off the table (for now): The AT&T merger with T-Mobile

  • what After a long back-and-forth with the government over the implications of the merger, AT&T said Thursday (that’s right, on Thanksgiving!) that they would not pursue FCC approval of a merger with T-Mobile.
  • why It looked very unlikely to get through regulators’ clutches. The merger would have effectively marginalized Sprint in the market, leading the FCC to call a hearing on the merger, and the DOJ to file an antitrust suit.
  • however Both AT&T and T-Mobile have much to lose from the stunted deal — AT&T in penalty fees (reaching into the billions) and lost infrastructure, T-Mobile in declining business. They will probably try again soon. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Aug 2011 23:34

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Biz, Politics: Rick Perry: Totally backed that AT&T merger with T-Mobile

  • $500,000 from AT&T to Rick Perry source
  • » AT&T’s contributions = Rick Perry’s support? Back in May, Rick Perry told the FCC he backed the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. “I believe that this merger will continue to provide for great consumer choice, offer a wide range of service options, and spur continued innovation,” he wrote. He might’ve had a little help from those campaign contributions over the past decade. AT&T has a bit of a history of going out of its way to turn public favor its way, going so far as to bizarrely convince GLAAD to support the merger. With the Justice Department coming out against the merger and AT&T’s contributions to Perry coming under scrutiny, will Perry back down? (Strangely enough, BTW, the Justice Department’s James Cole made a statement that reads like the polar opposite of what Perry wrote: “We believe the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices, and lower-quality products for their mobile wireless services.” Hrm.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Aug 2011 11:15

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Biz: Justice Department attempts to block AT&T merger with T-Mobile

  • then A while back, AT&T announced it would attempt to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion, in an attempt to shore up deficiencies in its wireless network. Other companies and consumer groups, most notably Sprint, loudly complained.
  • now Now the Justice Department’s trying 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,” their complaint said. *BOOM.* source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jun 2011 10:43

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Politics: GLAAD president sacked after bizarre net neutrality controversy

  • controversy For some strange reason, GLAAD — an activist group known more for its stance on gay rights than it is on technology-related issues — recently sent out form letters received from AT&T that made it clear they were against net neutrality, and that they supported the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. Why? And what does this have to do with gay rights?
  • result GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios resigned as a result of the controversy, admitting the group accepted money from AT&T and signed off on letters he didn’t actually understand (because they had nothing to do with gay rights). He also covered up the deed — putting his secretary on the hook when he actually sent out the letters. So he’s out. Oops. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 20:09

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Biz: Stock market: A huge merger goes a long way to revive stocks

  • whatDespite the extreme uncertainty caused by the Japanese quake and Libya unrest, the Dow Jones Industrial jumped above 12,000 for the first time in nearly two weeks.
  • why The AT&T/T-Mobile merger, silly! In fact, that whole mess seems to have pushed up the entire market for everyone except for Sprint, which fell far today. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Mar 2011 21:30

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Biz: AT&T’s T-Mobile buyout: Infrastructure, antitrust concerns at play

  • 35 million subscribers on T-Mobile’s current wireless setup
  • 100M number of subscribers Verizon has, buoyed by a large infrastructure that nobody can touch
  • 95M number of subscribers AT&T has — if the merger goes through, they’ll top Verizon
  • 40M number of subscribers Sprint has; they were also having merger talks with T-Mobile source
  • » It’s all about infrastructure: AT&T is trying hard to play catch-up with Verizon, which not only has more customers and bandwidth, but also now has the iPhone. The bummer for T-Mobile users is that AT&T’s monthly rates are far higher than T-Mobile’s, which as you might guess has people worried. While T-Mobile has tried to get ahead of talk like this, the concerns are enough that many analysts are warning that the deal won’t go through.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 10:50

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Biz: Could mobile also-rans T-Mobile and Sprint merge? It’s a possibility

  • who T-Mobile, the U.S. mobile carrier owned by Deutsche Telekom, is a fourth-place also-ran in the cell phone market, one that Apple doesn’t even think about.
  • what There are rumors that Deutsche Telekom will sell T-Mobile to Sprint, the third-largest mobile company, in exchange for a stake in the combined company.
  • why While the deal isn’t set in stone and could fall through, a combined company would make it easier for the two companies to build more infrastructure. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Jul 2010 11:24

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Tech: Rumor of the day: Apparently, T-Mobile might get the iPhone

  • 80% chance of Apple moving beyond AT&T (eh) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2010 21:44

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Tech: Google’s Nexus One most notable for what it doesn’t have

  • By offering a lineup of phones that is essentially carrier-independent, Google has separated the two previously interlocked parts of the phone/plan-buying experience—phone selection and carrier selection—and has done so in a way that threatens one of the most important enablers of carrier lock-in.
  • Ars Technica writer Jon Stokes • Making a pretty good point about why the Google Nexus One isn’t that big a deal, but the site where it’s being sold totally is. Google’s lack of carrier dependence is a big deal – it’s an active attempt to break the carrier/phone lock-in which has hurt consumers for years. It’s just a modest step – the Nexus One really only fully works with T-Mobile – but it’s still one that could make consumers happier and phone service non-crappy. Are you listening, AT&T and Apple? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2009 20:02

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Tech: T-Mobile is down nationwide, and Twitter’s pissed. Ouch.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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