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AT&T Agrees to Buy T-Mobile

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i just got done reading that article!

Hopefully this means att will gain better physical (geographical) 3G coverage because I wouldn't mind having a fast data network than my .24 MB/s download speed from Verizon.
 
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Considering they use different spectrum for 3G, it won't improve anything there.

This is a sad day. The only one of the "big 4" carriers to ever do anything pro-consumer is done.
 
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If so, since I honestly don't know much about cellphone networks, why would they even acquire them? Other than their consumer base....
 
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Other than their consumer base....

I'm sure there's some valuable spectrum, but this is almost certainly 100% about customer base. AT&T has more spectrum than they're using right now so they don't really need what T-Mo has.
 

iWhat

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Future competitive pricing down the drain, if T-Mobile were to get the iPhone... and had this not happened.
 
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Interesting. T Mobile have the iPhone here in the UK, but they have shocking customer service and add stuff to your bill too.
 
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AT&T Agrees to Buy Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telecom as in...T-Mobile…..

Just to clarify: they're only buying Deutsche Telekom's US unit.

schweb said:
This is a sad day. The only one of the "big 4" carriers to ever do anything pro-consumer is done.

Over here in germany, where T-Mobile is the ex-state-monopoly and still the dominant carrier, it's exactly reversed: T-mobile overcharges, has terrible customer support and has been losing subscribers to its smaller, pro-consumer competitors for years.

The only reason you would choose t-mobile here is because of the slightly better network coverage or because they had the iPhone exclusively for a few years. Thankfully, it became available on all carriers last year.

But thought it was worth throwing out there: T-Mobile USA may have been customer friendly, but only because they had to be.

It's an odd move though: as schweb pointed out, the frequency issue means AT & T won't improve their coverage, so I'm wondering what the play is here. Will they keep the t-mob brand? I suppose they'll have to, otherwise how would they explain that some AT&T customers (on the ex-Tmobile network) can't get the iPhone, while others can?
 
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It's an odd move though: as schweb pointed out, the frequency issue means AT & T won't improve their coverage, so I'm wondering what the play is here. Will they keep the t-mob brand? I suppose they'll have to, otherwise how would they explain that some AT&T customers (on the ex-Tmobile network) can't get the iPhone, while others can?

Easy. When it's time to upgrade they just sell you an AT&T iPhone. AT&T could also work with Apple to have all future AT&T iPhones work in both data bands and take advantage of T-Mos existing 3G network as well as AT&Ts. Since they will now own T-Mos spectrum they can upgrade the AT&T network to work on those freqs as well. After all, you could always unlock an AT&T iPhone and move it to T-Mo in the US, it was only the 3G data that was the issue. This might also give AT&T a further jump on 4G since T-Mo has been advertising it for some time now.

Sure makes those T-Mo commercials mocking AT&T look funny now though.
 
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...Sure makes those T-Mo commercials mocking AT&T look funny now though.



lol I had to go back and look at a few with the chick in the dress. It's just like Verizon mocking the iPhone being "all pretty" and then they get the iPhone lol
 
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The funny thing is that about 8 years or so ago, there was talk of DT buying AT&T (the real one, not today's at&t) but that was stopped by US rules on foreign ownership of US telcos.

Sad really, can't imagine DT would be any worse as an owner of AT&T than SBC turned out to be.
 
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T-Mobile gets the iPhone, Apple gets fast new HSPA+ network

T-Mobile gets the iPhone, Apple gets fast new HSPA+ network
AppleInsider | T-Mobile gets the iPhone, Apple gets fast new HSPA+ network
AT&T's $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom will not only create America's largest mobile carrier but also the largest US iPhone carrier by adding 33.7 million T-Mobile subscribers to AT&T's network of about 95.5 million, creating a total of about 130 million users on a network with ultra fast HSPA+ coverage.
 
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Wonderful. Now even less competition, and less incentives for any of the now 3 companies to offer better pricing schemes. Would this not insinuate that ATT will now have a virtual monopoly in the US GSM market ? How can that be a good thing for anybody ?

Or maybe I just don't know bupkis about this business and should zip my flapper.

Doug
 

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1877 - 1984 Ma Bell reigns... 2011 - ? Ma Bell reigns again. You can't stop a determined woman. :p
 
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Would this not insinuate that ATT will now have a virtual monopoly in the US GSM market ? How can that be a good thing for anybody ?

Yeah, but it's not as a big a deal as it sounds. Since both AT&T and Verizon are moving to LTE (and I'll bet Sprint eventually gives up on it's stupid WiMax strat and goes to LTE also). So being having a monopoly on GSM in a few years will be like saying they have a monopoly on analog or TDMA today.

But I've read a few articles on this and I tend to agree with them, that I think it will be highly unlikely that the FCC and DOJ will end up approving this, especially under a Democratic administration. I mean the FCC just very recently released a report stating there was already a dangerous concentration of spectrum with the national carriers, can't believe after writing that they'd say "oh uh dur, let's say yes to this" unless they're total idiots.
 
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NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I actually like T-mobile!! I always keep a t-mobile phone(BlackBerry 7150)handy for when I go to Europe........NOOOOOOO!!!!!
>(
 
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it's business..who cares who buys who

as long as there is an iphone in my hand thats really all i care about
 
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it's business..who cares who buys who

as long as there is an iphone in my hand thats really all i care about
You will care when your iphone data all of a sudden costs more. And all these mergers and buyouts to affect rate plan prices too.
 
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i understand and agree but do we have any control over these buy outs??

companies are always going to merge or buy out smaller like companies..

in the end the consumer gets screwed in this case yes more expensive bills..

but at the end of the day we can't do anything about it..

thats why i said what ever happens happens.. as long as i have my phone of choice i'm happy
 

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