T-Mobile and MetroPCS join forces in merger: the full story
T-Mobile USA, operated by Deutsche Telekom, and MetroPCS have agreed to merge under the T-Mobile name. Expected to close in the first half of 2013, the deal would move over 9 million MetroPCS subscribers to T-Mobile's GSM network and repurpose the existing MetroPCS CDMA network for 4G LTE. It's another try at a merger for T-Mobile after its failed agreement with AT&T, and one that's less likely to be shot down by US regulators.
T-Mobile drops anti-net neutrality lawsuit filed by MetroPCS, leaving Verizon on its own
Cellphone carriers have generally met net neutrality proposals with varying levels of hostility, but Verizon and MetroPCS have been particularly belligerent: in 2011, they sued to overturn the FCC's then-newly adopted Open Internet rules. Since then, the two have consistently argued in court against the rules, which they've said undermine the freedom to run their networks as they see fit. But as T-Mobile finalizes its merger with MetroPCS, it's decided it doesn't want an old lawsuit to come...
T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger finalized, company to begin trading as 'T-Mobile US'
T-Mobile and MetroPCS have successfully closed the merger both wireless carriers set out on last year. Confirmed in the newly-merged company's fact sheet and investor page, the deal pairs T-Mobile USA's 34 million subscribers with the near 9 million tallied by MetroPCS. The Associated Press first reported that the merger was nearing finalization yesterday, and both companies' investor pages confirm the new company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TMUS.
The...
MetroPCS shareholders approve T-Mobile USA merger
Bloomberg and Reuters are reporting that MetroPCS shareholders have approved a deal to merge with T-Mobile USA. The approval comes after the deal received a blessing from the FCC and the Justice Department in March, and board approval from each company last October.
The merger will allow T-Mobile to expand its freshly-launched LTE network in the United States, which launched in seven cities on March 26th. T-Mobile says it expects to deliver LTE to 100 million people by mid-2013, and 200...
MetroPCS vote on T-Mobile merger postponed as Deutsche Telekom sweetens the deal
MetroPCS is putting a Friday vote on the proposed merger with T-Mobile USA on hold until April 24th. MetroPCS announced the postponement today, and according to All Things D, the revised terms will reduce MetroPCS’s debt burden in the aftermath — from $15 billion to $11.2 billion. The Wall Street Journal reports that the interest rate on that debt would also be cut by half a percentage point in what T-Mobile’s German parent Deutsche Telekom called its "best and final offer."...
T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger approved by the FCC
We knew things were moving forward, and now the Federal Communications Commission has approved the merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS. In a statement released today, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said that allowing the two companies to join forces will "benefit millions of American consumers and help the US maintain the global leadership in mobile it has regained in recent years."
Word first broke that T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, was interested in acquiring MetroPCS last...
US Justice Department won't intervene in T-Mobile, MetroPCS merger
The proposed merger between T-Mobile and MetroPCS still has plenty of regulatory hurdles to overcome, but now there's one less to worry about. Seemingly unconcerned with the plan, the US Department of Justice has allowed a 30-day waiting period (mandated by antitrust law) to lapse without objection. "Deutsche Telekom has reached an important staging post at the approval process of the merger of its subsidiary T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS," said T-Mobile's corporate parent in a statement.
For...
T-Mobile USA loses more contract customers ahead of Metro PCS merger
Another quarter, another half a million fewer postpaid customers for T-Mobile. Today the company reported its fourth quarter financial results, and while revenues are showing signs of growth, they’re still five percent lower than they were last year. Despite the 19 percent growth in the number of prepaid customers (including branded and MVNO numbers), it couldn’t offset the 13.9 percent drop in contract revenues, which make up more than two thirds of T-Mobile’s total revenue stream. The...
T-Mobile to move MetroPCS customers onto its network by 2015, expand LTE coverage
As part of its recently announced merger with T-Mobile USA, MetroPCS will be moving customers off its current CDMA network by 2015, the company says. In a call, the companies said that T-Mobile's GSM network would provide 3G service for MetroPCS subscribers, while the CDMA spectrum would be repurposed to expand 4G LTE. "At the date the deal closes," investors were told, "we will have an array of GSM, HSPA+, and LTE devices available for MetroPCS customers to purchase." Previously, MetroPCS...
Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS boards approve T-Mobile deal (updated)
The boards of Deutsche Telekom and MetroPCS have approved a deal that would combine MetroPCS with T-Mobile USA,The Wall Street Journal reports. According to sources, the new company will run under the T-Mobile banner, headed by T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere. However, though Deutsche Telekom reportedly has a substantial stake in the new company, it could reduce it over time, effectively letting MetroPCS take over the T-Mobile label in the US.
No-contract carrier MetroPCS had about 9.3...
Deutsche Telekom confirmed to be in talks to buy MetroPCS (update)
Deutsche Telekom is allegedly very close to making a deal to purchase MetroPCS, according to a report from Bloomberg. The purchase would be used to strengthen the T-Mobile brand in the US, which is currently the fourth-largest carrier in the country. Bloomberg cites unnamed sources that claim that Deutsche Telekom's board is due to meet tomorrow to approve the transaction.
MetroPCS is just under a third of the size of T-Mobile, which has 33.2 million subscribers in the US. It currently...
Mobile
Deutsche Telekom reportedly looking to merge T-Mobile USA with MetroPCS
Bloomberg is reporting that Deutsche Telekom is in talks to merge T-Mobile USA with MetroPCS, a little more than four months after failing to sell the unit to AT&T. Sources close to the matter tell Bloomberg that the European carrier is contemplating a stock-swap transaction that would give it full control over the newly formed entity, and that this entity would be publicly listed. Deutsche Telekom has other options to explore, however, including an outright sale of T-Mobile USA. Sources say...
