By Kavit Majithia
Sprint pushes T-Mobile deal as lawsuit looms
Jan Geldmacher, president of Sprint Business, said the company remains very optimistic its mega merger with T-Mobile US will be pushed through, as it prepares for a December court showdown with 16 US states opposing the deal.
Geldmacher gave the day two keynote audience an update on the merger, which was first announced in April 2018, highlighting continued progress. Specifically, he pointed to federal approvals, including green lights from the antitrust division of the US Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission.
However, the deal, which will shrink the US market from four major players to three if sealed, is still under threat after 16 US states launched a legal case arguing the merger will negatively impact jobs and consumer choice.
On the case, due to begin on 9 December, Geldmacher said: “We are still very optimistic we will get the right approval and continue with the merger.”
Rural deserves 5G
Turning to 5G, the Sprint executive reiterated the company’s belief that a merger with T-Mobile will benefit the whole of the US in terms of coverage.
“We all know that only the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint will truly deliver nationwide coverage. You have to not only bring 5G not only to the cities and within the cities to hotspots, you have to bring it to smaller cities and rural America specifically deserves to be connected through 5G. That is something the merger will deliver.”
He added the merged entity aimed to deliver this promise by combining valuable spectrum holdings and investing $40 billion in the joint network.