For years, T-Mobile and Sprint held the third and fourth position among the largest carriers in the US. Their merger was bound to happen sometime, business-wise or not.
However, not everyone is a fan of this decision. While it was a long time coming, the decision-made known through an application with the Federal Communications Commission, submitted on June 18 was met with quite an opposition. When this application was made public, CNET reveals that groups like the Consumer's Union, Common Cause, and Public Knowledge lobbied against the deal.
The Communications Workers of America cited the firing of 28,000 communications personnel as a major reason for the deal not to push through. Opposition like this echoes the sentiments of consumers-that four major players should be able to create fair competition with each other.
The deal had been in the works for years. As Verizon and AT&T, arguably two larger companies, have evolved, T-Mobile and Sprint thought they should adapt to it. The only way they could be to merge to become as large as the two companies, which hold the first and second spot on the list of America's largest carriers.
Meanwhile, Digital Trends notes how the supposed secret merger went public. It was T-Mobile CEO John Legere who broke the news on Twitter. He revealed that deals between the companies have finally gotten them in agreement, where it was acceptable for everyone involved; thus, the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint.
The deal has been valued at $26 billion. The video of the announcement, available on John Legere's tweet, showed him alongside Sprint's CEO Marcelo Claure. They talked about the deal, revealing details and possible outcomes of the merger. The deal will also combine the subscribers of both carriers, which will stand at somewhere around 126 million customers.
The companies tried to put skeptical minds at ease when they said that the merger, contrary to expectations, would not kill jobs. They said that the merger will be better for consumers, as prices will become cheaper. In the case of workers, the deal will also add more jobs, mainly because of their plans to put up more 5G installations as well as offer better customer service.
Both companies agree that instead of cutting competition, the merger between the two will increase the intensity between what will become three large US telecommunications carriers.
