Will it just be regarding Boost and Virgin Mobile, or will it involve the other Sprint MVNOs as well?
Also, what is your source? Thanks
Source is pure speculation of the markets right now of where prepaid is doing well, what companies are doing the best, and who makes moves quickest. Quarter 1 is always the most active time for changes within companies to change things around internally. Quarter 3 is usually announcements for brand new products.
Sprint needs to make a move and with this news of merging (Both their Prepaid companies, and this possible merge/buyout with T-Mobile) it is a big indication that Sprint is going to do something in February.
I spoke with someone who is an editor at technology website, and one of our conversations turned into this basically. Verizon and AT&T are pretty much going to be silent this year until they hear the internal news of what Sprint and T-Mobile are doing...so unless they make some drastic move, expect something big from both Sprint and T-Mobile. Whether it's a merge/buyout, or something with their network, plans, etc.
Also expect an update soon on Sprint Spark. That information is already public, but people just aren't talking about it. I'm really hoping they make it available to Sprint MVNO's, but probably not.
One last thing, from reading comments on other forums and websites. Do not think that the FCC will get in the way of another T-Mobile buyout. FCC got in the way of AT&T and T-Mobile for 2 reasons...AT&T has a massive market acquired already, and T-Mobile was just a short cut to get them ahead of Verizon. Also they didn't want a dominant network type (GSM) with AT&T. Merging these 2 would put a lot of people at Sprint at a huge risk, and also allow AT&T to control too much. Merging AT&T and T-Mobile could be a pathway to only 2 companies running the entire wireless market...and we do not want that.
Sprint and T-Mobile merging is a different situation. Combined they have a little less than 30% of the market, (I think it's closer to 20 now) and they would be migrating CDMA and GSM together (at least temporarily). The FCC also HAS NOT commented on this on any level of blocking the deal, or letting it allow without trouble.