T-Mobile, Sprint to merge in all-stock deal

I'm okay with this. I think Verizon and AT&T are too big and don't really consider Sprint or T-Mobile real competition right now. I'm hoping that the combined company will drastically improve their nationwide coverage and will force the other 2 companies to actually go back to competing for consumers by lowering prices. Of course if the merger doesn't get approved it will take a lot longer before Sprint or T-Mobile will become big enough to force that competition.

Soooo, do they go CDMA or, GSM?

Since T-Mobile will be the name of the new merged company, I'm going GSM on the technology they will use going forward. That's what they did when they took over MetroPCS so there is precedent for this.

Let's not get to far ahead here. From what I read today, this hasn't received regulatory approval yet. The last time they tried this merger it wasn't approved so who knows what happens this time.

That last time they tried this merger Sprint walked away before an agreement was reached so it did not go before regulators to be approved. Also that was when Obama's FCC was in control and it was known that they were against it. Now it's a new Administration and they have shown that they are more pro business. So, yes, every thing is up in the air at this point but I think it will go through.

GSM makes more sense over CDMA. GSM is in use worldwide.
I thought Verizon wanted to shut down CDMA next year?

I'm hoping this means that TMO will have service in states like WV. Whenever I travel through WV, my TMO switches to ATT and I'm limited in data usage until I get out of the state and it's spotty in VA as well until I get into NC.

In Ohio where I'm at, I've had no issues with TMO. My oldest is in Fort Bragg, NC and has no issues either. Yes, I should kick him off my plan since he's 26 years old, but his line doesn't cost me anything. It's the cheapest plan for us. four lines, unlimited everything, free netflix, $144/mo.

I have T-Mobile and have had them for years.

The only time I have had a problem with them was when I would dirve through West Virginia heading to Ohio, and when I was at Fort Irwin, CA for NTC and parts of Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

I was ecstatic when I lived in WY for that short time and I was able to get coverage.

If the merger goes through I just hope the service does not go to crap.

I've had TMO for several years, and I've used them world-wide. I was even able to play Ingress on 2g/3g service in India (and got a "welcome to pakistan" text message when I visited a town near the border because it pinged off a Pakistani cell tower.

I've had TMobile for years. I had Sprint before that. I loathe Sprint. I'ma be really hacked off it this tanks my experience with tmobile as I've been really happy with them.

For those of us in the cell business this is not great news. Sprint was going to have to $6B to just get up to speed.....now I wonder if theyb will put their build on hold. Same with TMO, they were getting ready to pen their largest equipment and services deal for L600 and 5G prep....

Not to mention the tower business, my company took a 10% hit to their stock price.....

CDMA was dated 10 years ago so the equipment will be SIM card driven.

In the industry the odds are 60/40 not in favor of this going through but that may have changed since last I looked.

I have had TMO since they were Voicestream and actually built 2 cities for them back in the day....really hope TMO just takes spectrum and tower space from Sprint...everything else is sub par.

Real question is can they lower their pricing while carrying the Sprint debt.....they're infrastructure costs will not go down right away.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
I've had TMobile for years. I had Sprint before that. I loathe Sprint. I'ma be really hacked off it this tanks my experience with tmobile as I've been really happy with them.

ooo, same!

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
Since T-Mobile will be the name of the new merged company, I'm going GSM on the technology they will use going forward. That's what they did when they took over MetroPCS so there is precedent for this.

I've heard the opposite.

Company will be Sprint, if it goes through which I don't believe it will.

quote:

Originally posted by PorterN:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
I've had TMobile for years. I had Sprint before that. I loathe Sprint. I'ma be really hacked off it this tanks my experience with tmobile as I've been really happy with them.

ooo, same!

Same here! Sprint blows chunks. TMO rocks. If this destroys our TMO experience, which it will if it's the Japanese owner of Sprint that will be the owner, we'll be moving to VZW or (*blech*) at&t.

BTW: My wife and I are in Europe atm. Our TMO coverage has been seamless and excellent.

I will be surprised if the new owner isn't SoftBank (the Japanese owner of Sprint). Son, SoftBank's President, has been trying for dominance in the U.S. wireless market for years. That's why he bought Sprint in the first place.

If you have hopes the "merged" company will be better than the parts, just look at what SoftBank/Son hasn't done for Sprint

The people who think this will be a good thing don't know what they're talking about, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Soooo, do they go CDMA or, GSM?

I would hope GSM:

1. GSM is a GLOBAL standard, CDMA is a dying, niche standard
2. T-Mobile, who is GSM, is absorbing Sprint, not the other way around

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
we'll be moving to VZW or (*blech*) at&t.

I don't understand the hate AT&T gets on this forum. I've been with them for 18 years now and they've been excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by PorterN:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
I've had TMobile for years. I had Sprint before that. I loathe Sprint. I'ma be really hacked off it this tanks my experience with tmobile as I've been really happy with them.

ooo, same!

Same here! Sprint blows chunks. TMO rocks. If this destroys our TMO experience, which it will if it's the Japanese owner of Sprint that will be the owner, we'll be moving to VZW or (*blech*) at&t.

BTW: My wife and I are in Europe atm. Our TMO coverage has been seamless and excellent.

I will be surprised if the new owner isn't SoftBank (the Japanese owner of Sprint). Son, SoftBank's President, has been trying for dominance in the U.S. wireless market for years. That's why he bought Sprint in the first place.

If you have hopes the "merged" company will be better than the parts, just look at what SoftBank/Son hasn't done for Sprint

The people who think this will be a good thing don't know what they're talking about, IMO.

SoftBank will be a minority shareholder. The company will be T-Mobile, not Sprint.

http://www.businessinsider.com...ging-its-feet-2018-4

quote:

Originally posted by heisrizn:

quote:

Originally posted by Paten:
Since T-Mobile will be the name of the new merged company, I'm going GSM on the technology they will use going forward. That's what they did when they took over MetroPCS so there is precedent for this.

I've heard the opposite.

Company will be Sprint, if it goes through which I don't believe it will.

Everything I've read says TMO will be the controlling interest. TMO's CEO will run the new company. And it is planned that all Sprint customers will be merged on TMO (i.e. GSM).

Again, I think the multi-billion dollar question is, will the regulators allow the merger this time. We'll just have to wait and see on that one.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

Sprint blows chunks. TMO rocks.

My experience with these two companies are completely opposite, just goes to show you how location is key when discussing cell service.

We had Sprint for 3 years with zero issues, tried TMobile because it was cheaper by a fair amount.
Coverage was horrible speeds were much better when you had signal. Signal in buildings was pretty much non existant.
Back to Sprint a touch more expensive speeds are slower but I have yet to be without signal in many places I did not have it with T-Mobile.

Combining the spectrum can only mean good, I hope. I carry two iPhones, TMO & VZW. I drive all over the country, and I can tell from first hand experience that VZW has better overcoverage. However, when TMO works, it is usually superior to Verizon, and TMO works 90% of the time.

Verizon must be crapping their pants, because TMO is quickly overtaking them in my experience. Two years ago I had 7 lines on VZW. Today, I have 5 on TMO, and two on Verizon. My total cost is also about $150 less. Verizon won’t be able to dine out on that coverage boast much longer.

AT&T? To adapt a line from Michael Scott, if I had a gun with two rounds and I was locked in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden, and AT&T, I’d shoot AT&T twice.

Sprint and T-Mobile are 2 sub standard companies that will be one big looser....Their coverage blows, their prices suck and I would never be their customer. I am a Verizon customer.....a little more expensive, but superior coverage and product offerings.