DoJ ready to greenlight Sprint/T-Mobile US merger – report

It has been one of the most protracted merger approval processes in recent memories, but source close to the US Department of Justice believe a positive decision is on the horizon for Sprint and T-Mobile US.

With Dish seemingly waiting in the wings to purchase Sprint’s prepaid brand Boost, the Department of Justice might well be on the verge of approving the $26 billion merger. According to the Wall Street Journal, a decision could be made public this week, though the budding duo would still have to face legal challenges from several State Attorney General’s before experiencing the merger euphoria.

After months of regulatory and antitrust objections to the deal, the Department of Justice might well be finally convinced. Aside from off-loading Boost to create a fourth nationwide player in the US, the duo would also have to commit to a three-year roadmap for 5G deployment as well as promising no tariff increases during the period.

Originally it did appear the Department of Justice did not share the enthusiasm as the FCC for the deal, though this report seemingly demonstrates somewhat of a U-turn. What is worth noting is all of these reports and rumours are nothing more than hearsay, though it will be welcome news from the T-Mobile US and Sprint executives who have been fighting against the tide for months.

That said, the deal with Dish appears to be central to this approval.

Earlier this week, it was suggested Dish had come to an agreement with Sprint to purchase the Boost brand for $5 billion. As part of the deal, Dish would become a connectivity customer of the newly merged business as it constructed its own network.

This would appear to be a very sensible report as Dish is under pressure to make use of the spectrum assets it has been collected over the last few years. Deadline day is quickly approaching for Dish to demonstrate it will make use of the licences otherwise it would be forced to hand back the valuable assets.

Hopefully the end of this saga is close as any further delays could start to have detrimental impacts on the 5G rollout plans of the two separate organizations. Both T-Mobile US and Sprint are keen to link up as this would create a more consolidated challenge to the leadership position of AT&T and Verizon in the mobile segment.

That said, objections from various parties have suggested reducing the number of nationwide MNOs from three to four would negatively impact competition, while others have also pointed to recent market trends.

In a joint lawsuit against the merger, several State Attorney Generals have pointed to decreasing prices for mobile contracts over the last few years, arguing that the system works. Some might suggest fixing something which isn’t broken is not the best path; if the current level of competition is benefitting the consumer, why should anyone consider changing it.

These reports are nothing more than rumour for the moment, and there are the lawsuits to consider, but it does appear this prolonged saga might be coming to a close sooner rather than later.