“The chief executive of Verizon Wireless said he has no interest in buying Sprint Nextel Corp. even as the company stands to lose its top position in the U.S. wireless market because of a merger between AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA,” Sinead Carew reports for Reuters.
“Verizon Wireless CEO Daniel Mead also said he would not oppose AT&T’s plans to buy Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA for $39 billion,” Carew reports. “‘We’re not interested in Sprint. We don’t need them,’ said Mead, speaking to Reuters ahead of the CTIA Wireless Conference.”
Carew reports, “Mead said U.S. regulators would likely approve the AT&T/T-Mobile deal if the companies agreed to certain conditions.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
I was just thinking about this yesterday. Verizon wouldn’t waste their money on Sprint until sprint was literally about to close its doors, then they’d buy them up for short money and we’d all be left with just 2 carriers. Eventually carriers will be data providers only, we really don’t need voice anymore we have VOIP and it works great!
Not if FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has his way…
Genachowski is a Fascist beholden to Tele-coms and politicians above his pay-grade and he will make your VOIP go ‘buh-bye’ if it means saving his job.
If he gets *any* form ‘Net Neutrality’ from Congress passed, you can kiss Skype farewell.
Call your Congressman to shut him down, if you like.
Took a paranoia pill, recently? Fascist? Really? What a joke of a post…
As far as being “beholden” to others, that probably applies to every elected federal politician and many of the appointed federal officials, as well. That is a pervasive and well-known problem that has resisted a solution.
Care to explain how “any form of ‘Net Neutrality'” is a threat to VOIP? You sound like one of those “all regulation is bad” people – a stance which is fundamentally flawed. Bad regulation is bad and no regulation is generally bad, as well. Good regulation can be good, especially if it is trimmed to the minimum level needed to get the job done.
I am so glad that you are content with posting drivel. Fandango for President would be a nightmare.
Welcome back Ma Bell…
I know this merger will be approved, but it shouldn’t be.
Only 2 National carriers? Seriously?
Why wouldn’t Apple give T-Mobile the iPhone? Apple could have saved the company!
Giving T-Mobile the iPhone wouldn’t have saved the company, it would have only delayed the inevitable.
@Eric – this purchase leaves us with 3 national carriers: ATT, Sprint, and Verizon. Apple doesn’t “give” the iPhone to any carrier – there’s a long process of negotiation and implementation that both parties must agree to. Both parties didn’t. But don’t worry, while the iPhone may not immediately be imminent for T-Mobile customers, it will be eventually as the T-Mobile brand and assets are absorbed and they become ATT customers.
As a customer of the Deathstar with an iPhone 4, I continuously do my best to bankrupt the empire with my unlimited data plan….
T-mobile should have begged and pleaded with Apple. It would have saved the company even if it cost a lot. Beats getting swallowed up by AT&T. And think of the coming layoffs…
Whoops. You’re right. I misspoke… 2 carrier standards…. AT&T as the sole GSM provider? Just Verizon and Sprint as CDMA?
That’s dangerous… And going to LTE won’t fix that.
Oh good
yae!!
for once Verizon isn’t being a turd
Actually, Verizon is overjoyed to see AT&T buy up T-Mobile. That eliminates one cost-based competitor. Also, many people on T-Mobile hate AT&T and Verizon is looking forward to their subscriber base increasing as people jump off the AT&T-Mobile ship.
First Verizon won’t take the iPhone. Then they’re not interested in the one move that will keep them from moving from number one to second place. Seems like a pattern here.
One, Verizon COULDN’T buy Sprint. It’s difficult but possible for the wireless market to go from 4 large players to 3. It’s NOT possible for the wireless market to go from 3 large players to 2. The DOJ would not allow it.
Since when does anyone need permission from Verizon to buy anything? So what if they did ‘oppose’ it, would AT&T just say OK, SORRY Big Shot Verizon we thought it would be ok with you. please.
The government might care a little more if Verizon did. That’s why it matters.
If instead Verizon opposed the ATT-TM merger as anticompetitive, its own words would be used against it later if Verizon moves to take over Sprint or some other competitor.
The easiest way to change providers is to stay with the same one…
“The chief executive of Verizon Wireless said he has no interest in buying Sprint Nextel Corp….”
It’s good to see that Verizon has a shred of intelligence. Sprint belongs in bankruptcy court.