So what could this mean for us?

[averagewonder]

Sprint is looking to buy T-mobile.

Sprint is preparing bid for T-Mobile, WSJ says | Mobile - CNET News

 

[Rxpert83]

Likely wouldn't pass the FCC. ATT tried to buy them not too long ago as well and it got rejected

 

[averagewonder]

Yes that is true but I thought the main reason they didn't approve it was because of the size of the company it would be to big and more or less make a monopoly.

 

[Rxpert83]

Sprints the #3 carrier, ATT was #2

I think they'd use the same logic they did for ATT

I don't want to see T-Mobile bought. They're shaking up the wireless industry. No wonder the big companies want to buy them and stop it

 

[Shabbypenguin]

att is a big number 2, while sprint is a distant #3. with them pushing towards lte a network merge wouldn't make much sense. I do however think its unlikely, more of a uscc or cspire getting bought by sprint.

 

[Gman9831]

If it even passed through the regulators, the struggling #3 carrier buying the innovative #4 carrier thats on the rebound. I'd see the DOJ sueing again.

But in that odd chance that even did happen I see us probably being left alone. Sprint likes having different brands under its belt.

 

[Rxpert83]

att is a big number 2, while sprint is a distant #3. with them pushing towards lte a network merge wouldn't make much sense. I do however think its unlikely, more of a uscc or cspire getting bought by sprint.

True. I just don't see anything happening in terms of buyouts/mergers within the "big" 4

 

[DirtyDee]

If it even passed through the regulators, the struggling #3 carrier buying the innovative #4 carrier thats on the rebound. I'd see the DOJ sueing again.

But in that odd chance that even did happen I see us probably being left alone. Sprint likes having different brands under its belt.

Different brands it can neglect see boost and virgin mobile

 

[Rxpert83]

Different brands it can neglect see boost and virgin mobile

Prepaid never really get the good end of the deal from carriers unfortunately.

They'd rather have you pay for their postpaid services.

 

[averagewonder]

Different brands it can neglect see boost and virgin mobile

Yeah that's true I'm surprised boost is even around anymore. They had opened a boost store a few miles from where I live and it closed in less then a month. Somebody bought it and opened it back up but I'm not giving it long.

 

[alfick3]

Prepaid never really get the good end of the deal from carriers unfortunately.

They'd rather have you pay for their postpaid services.

So far it's looking like Metro is getting some good lovin' from T-Mobile.

 

[Gman9831]

Tmobile is treating prepaid as the future while all the other carriers treat it as the unwanted stepchild. Basically all the carriers only growth has been prepaid they need prepaid but they don't like it since it lowers their ARPU but tmobile has been embracing this even trying to lower the ARPU for all the carriers.

 

[Gman9831]

With the recent industry changes I don't see this happening

US mobile monthly ARPU to grow to $51 by 2015 - TIA

By*Lewis Dowling, Total Telecom

Thursday 15 March 2012

Economist forecasts data revenues will overtake voice in 2013; U.S. mobile operators to generate $144.2 billion from data in 2015.

The growing appetite for mobile data will push U.S. mobile operators' average revenue per user (ARPU) up to $51 per month in 2015, up from $46.50 this year, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) forecast this week.

The industry body predicts that monthly ARPU will rise by a steady $1.50 per year

 

[DirtyDee]

So far it's looking like Metro is getting some good lovin' from T-Mobile.

You beat me to it. We get what we want s4 mega and lower prices on the phones our F6 is 200 bucks..compare that to the moto g. When we were getting the s4 boost was getting the s3. There is a huge process to get sprint phones to boost but easy for T-Mobile to metro. We get treated as important so far.

 

[jahunt78]

The company that just bought Sprint(Softbank Corp.) a few months ago, seems maybe they want a controlling portion of the mobile market if regulators by some weird chance pass it I'd bet they look at the smaller carriers until they re told no more due to them getting closer to a monopoly

 

[Rxpert83]

So far it's looking like Metro is getting some good lovin' from T-Mobile.

Nvm

 

[alfick3]

M

I guess that could make a difference.

 

[Rxpert83]

I guess that could make a difference.

oops. I was wrong and editing it when you caught me

I thought metro was the smaller company before the merger, I was mistaken

 

[jahunt78]

I think I had read somewhere that metro was #5 and only getting bigger at the time of the merger

 

[Gman9831]

At the time of the merger Metro was the #5 carrier losing 115,000 on average per quarter. Tmobile was #4 adding on average 50,000 per quarter which was all Prepaid and MVNO additions since it was losing half a million contract carriers per quarter.

 

[DirtyDee]

At the time of the merger Metro was the #5 carrier losing 115,000 on average per quarter. Tmobile was #4 adding on average 50,000 per quarter which was all Prepaid and MVNO additions since it was losing half a million contract carriers per quarter.

Now uncarriaer just makes waaay more sense

 

[kate]

The company that just bought Sprint(Softbank Corp.) a few months ago, seems maybe they want a controlling portion of the mobile market if regulators by some weird chance pass it I'd bet they look at the smaller carriers until they re told no more due to them getting closer to a monopoly

Also, before Softbank bought Sprint it was rumored they would try to buy T-Mobile if the Sprint deal didn't happen:

SoftBank may have interest in T-Mobile if Sprint bid falls through | The Verge