The Verge - T-Mobile and MetroPCS join forces in merger: the full story

T-Mobile drops anti-net neutrality lawsuit filed by MetroPCS, leaving Verizon on its own

2013-05-17T20:29:33Z

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 with its new spectrum. In a court statement filed today, T-Mobile has moved to dismiss its appeals claim.

T-Mobile's decision to back out doesn't mean the suit is over. Verizon will continue its litigation, though the court document indicates that it...

T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger finalized, company to begin trading as 'T-Mobile US'

2013-05-01T10:58:08Z

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 joined entity will operate under the T-Mobile brand, with plans calling for MetroPCS customers to be migrated over to T-Mobile's network by 2015. Once that's done, the spectrum previously devoted to MetroPCS' CDMA network will be repurposed to help...

MetroPCS shareholders approve T-Mobile USA merger

2013-04-24T13:50:58Z

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 million customers nationwide by the end of the year.

The deal was expected to close in the first half of 2013, and will move over 9 million MetroPCS subscribers to T-Mobile's GSM network. The vote on the merger was delayed in March after pressure from...

MetroPCS vote on T-Mobile merger postponed as Deutsche Telekom sweetens the deal

2013-04-11T02:15:04Z

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." Shareholders had reportedly been prepared to reject the previous terms of the deal if it had gone to a vote as planned.

Since 2011’s failed attempt to sell T-Mobile USA off to AT&T, Deutsche has overseen a massive restructuring at the company, scrapping...

T-Mobile and MetroPCS merger approved by the FCC

2013-03-12T17:44:41Z

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 year, with the boards of both companies approving the transaction last October. Regulatory approval was still necessary, however, but earlier this month the Department of Justice let a 30-day waiting period — mandated because of anti-trust...

US Justice Department won't intervene in T-Mobile, MetroPCS merger

2013-03-06T17:03:29Z

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 the fourth and fifth largest US carriers to combine, approval will also need to come from the Federal Communications Commission, the Committee on Foreign Investment, and of course investors. MetroPCS shareholders are slated to vote on the merger...

T-Mobile USA loses more contract customers ahead of Metro PCS merger

2013-02-28T08:05:10Z

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 resulting billion-dollar drop in revenues for the year contributed to an operating loss of $6.4 billion — 50 percent higher than 2011’s $4.3 billion loss.

It's not all bad news, though: T-Mobile says that around 30 percent of its postpaid...

T-Mobile to move MetroPCS customers onto its network by 2015, expand LTE coverage

2012-10-03T15:50:04Z

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 had considered signing roaming partnerships with GSM carriers, using Voice over LTE to make the switch.

Citing a 60 to 65 percent annual upgrade rate, they said that the transition should not be difficult, and that "heavy users" on LTE would likely...