How the iPhone crippled T-Mobile

[Renew Deal]

The Justice Department is suing to prevent AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, saying the deal would raise prices and not help customers, despite AT&T's claims it would improve service by giving it more spectrum to deploy for 4G and 3G services. I never took AT&T's arguments seriously; it sits on a lot of unused spectrum despite its cries of bandwidth poverty, and the real issue on spectrum is that it is too carved up by carrier, geography, and technology, so it can't be used flexibly in a fast-changing world. I'd unify all the spectrum and lend it to carriers -- not exclusively license it as done today -- based on actual usage and demand, which would spur meaningful innovation and price competition.

Regardless of the larger issues, the immediate result of the federal action is to kill -- or at least significantly delay -- the buyout of T-Mobile by AT&T. T-Mobile customers can breathe a sigh of relief, as they're less likely to be absorbed into AT&T's world of bad service. But ultimately, T-Mobile is a dying company. Despite its slightly lower prices and a reasonable set of cellphones and Android smartphones, its contract-based customers are fleeing to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and to a lesser extent Sprint, and its pay-as-you-go customers are looking more and more at the nation's fifth largest carrier, Metro PCS.

The iPhone is a big reason T-Mobile is dying. And if Sprint gains the iPhone in October, as the Wall Street Journal has reported, it will die even faster. Android smartphone sales may be surging, but that hasn't helped T-Mobile. Neither has T-Mobile's fast adoption of HSPA+ networks, the 3G-plus network it misleadingly calls 4G (as does AT&T).
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http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/how-the-iphone-crippled-t-mobile-171349

[onehandle]

1. The Sprint iPhone launch is imminent. And there is substantial evidence that T-Moblile...

...is getting the iPhone too.

Then all four major carriers will have the world's most popular phone.

[Bake]

2. The Germans are dying to dump T-Mobile.

Somebody will buy them. It might as well be AT&T.

Bake

[MilesColtrane]

3. AT&T should be broken up.

...along with all the other trusts.

[backscatter712]

7. That monopoly cannot be allowed to happen.

Maybe if Google bought them out...

[dkf]

4. AT&T reliability is non existent.

I've suffered with them because I love my iPhone and because Verizon's time meters are woefully inaccurate and there is no recourse except to complain.

If the government won't let them buy t-mobile then they need to make sure AT&T has access to enough spectrum otherwise they are simply doing a disservice to AT&T users.

[Bake]

9. I have AT&T, been with them for years. I love my iPhone.

And AT&T has been very reliable. I'm not a fan of any big corp., by any means, but AT&T is no worse than any of the rest of them.

Bake

[peacetalksforall]

5. Are there any mobile phone companies on the 'blue' list? I just dug a little and found that t-Mobile

is owned by a German company with a member or two in the Bilderberg/Trilateral/CFR group.

I have a service plan expiring on T-Mobile and it is against all principles to go with AT & T or Verizon. I think Sprint was also included in the list of companies that were facilitating the spying on citizens.

Suggestions please. Corrections to what I've written - please?

Please verify that you don't represent AT & T. Verizon, or the others, if you reply. :o)

[Renew Deal]

6. I think Credo may be.

I think I've gotten mail from democrats.com about them.

[backscatter712]

8. Credo's been working with progressives for a long time.

They give a lot of money to progressive groups.

The catch is that they use Sprint's network, and as far as phones, they get Sprint's hand-me-downs, which means that unless you get your own phone from elsewhere, you're not getting the new hotness from them.