The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint was just approved: Now what?
A U.S. district judge has ruled that the planned merger between Sprint and T-Mobile can proceed, reports the Wall Street Journal. Sprint and T-Mobile originally agreed to the merger two years ago, but many states stepped forward to object to it, arguing that Sprint didn’t need to join T-Mobile to remain competitive, and the deal was fundamentally anticompetitive.
However, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ultimately disagreed with the states’ arguments, saying, “T-Mobile has redefined itself over the past decade as a maverick that has spurred the two largest players in its industry to make numerous pro-consumer changes.” The judge also concluded that by allowing the deal to go forward, T-Mobile will be able to continue such a strategy in the future.
So now that this legal hurdle has cleared, what comes next, and what does it mean for customers?
Perhaps the most important outcome from a consumer’s standpoint is whether the merger will affect prices for better or worse. That question is simply impossible to answer right now and won’t likely won’t be known for several years.
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