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AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion

This is probably good for AT&T *and* T-Mobile customers.

I was with T-Mobile for 5-6 years (beginning when it was VoiceStream), and while I liked their customer service quite a bit, and liked the fact that they were GSM, their actual service was pretty weak where I lived and where I traveled.

T-Mobile was not, originally, a budget brand: they became a budget brand after being unable to compete as a premium brand with Verizon, Sprint, Cingular, and AT&T - but despite that, they still seem to be falling more and more behind the other carriers (who, complaints of service notwithstanding, *are* spending billions of dollars to upgrade their systems; first to 3G and then to 4G).
 
Rooftop voter said:
I'm happy about this. More coverage for me. I doubt prices would fluctuate for AT&T users that much, or if anything going down some to be more competitive with verizon. T-mobile subscribers may see their prices go up some though they will also be enjoying more coverage in the long run so it would be a pretty fair trade off.
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I already have good coverage. I'm not thrilled about a potential 33% increase in my monthly bill, not to mention 2 year contracts.
 
d0minick said:
Nice to see another south floridian!:D:D Miami Gardens! :D:D

Hey! Aventura here :D

Yes ATT is for sure the top carrier in SFLo. One thing I did realize, when I took a trip to Tampa last year I brought my Verizon and my Tmobile phone with me. They both had service all the way through Alligator Alley BUT Tmobile only had EDGE while VZ had 3G. Now, when I started seeing buildings, Verizon immediately lost a few bars of signal while Tmo stayed full.

On that same trip, we drove from Tampa to Gatlinburg (Yeah, i know!) and I tested both my Mytouch 4g and my Moto Droid X and Tmobile was faster than Verizon on every single test. Verizon did have covereage in areas where Tmo didn't such as the top of a ski mountain, along scary roads by the smokey mountains and things like that...BUT, I live in Miami I don't live on the road :)

I guess for myself Tmobile and ATTs merge is going to be awesome although I have to admit that I left ATT swearing that I would NEVER take them back so now just because of the fact that ATT is buying Tmobile I will get rid of my Tmobile line and stay with Verizon. I recently purchased a Thunderbolt from VZ and the speeds are RIDICULOUS!

Hope this ATT-Tmo merge will create more benefits than headaches for us users...Good luck!
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So, in the future;
-ATT gets a highspeed 3G network already mostly built to use as a spot-gap as they take their time building a 4G LTE network. (sorry, HSPA+ is NOT 4G)
-tmo customers get absorbed into ATT customers

-ATT and version both use LTE for their 4G networks.
-Sprint is already running with their 4G WiMax network.
 
powers74 said:
Why not just spend 39B beefing up your own network?

Guess that would actually take a sense of pride and commitment to you customers. And work. They'd actually have to do some work & maybe even hire people. Wouldn't that be awful?
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another internet genius here

people in Long Island outside NYC complain about bad coverage and the town that controls most of Nassau County just voted to prohibit building any new cell towers
 
PeterQVenkman said:
Gotta love less competition. It's always good for the consumer.
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This. I'm quite surprised by how much of a lovefest there is for this sh!^^y merger. Sprint is on the ropes and will be eaten up soon by Verizon. We probably won't be getting Canadian healthcare soon, but we'll soon get their really bad cell phone plans. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't a student of history of big business in this country. And to the iphone users harping about better coverage, not for your current iphone and not until the iphone 6 is out before Tmo's 3G freq's are supported (I seriously doubt they'll be adding the capability to the iphone 5 which is most likely already finished for a deal just announced this past weekend). You're only getting better 2G/Edge coverage with this merger.
 
Ryeno said:
I feel bad for the T-mobile customers who think they got grandfathered-in. Yes you'll be grandfathered-in but over time your service will magically get worse and when you call customer service they will just tell you to get an AT&T sim card and plan.
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What's actually going to happen is T-Mobile plans will still be honored until the customer renews and signs a new contract. However, AT&T has made it clear that they intend to use 1700/AWS for LTE, sticking with 850/Cellular for HSPA/HSPA+. What this means for T-Mobile customers is they're going to have to get new phones. The benefit of GSM is that the T-Mobile customers getting forced off of AWS don't have to renew their contract to get new phones that work with AT&T's rearranged spectrum allocation, since they have the option of buying an unlocked phone and sticking their SIM card in (out-of-contract phones won't work unless AT&T configures them to allow T-Mobile SIM cards).


What I'm really hoping for is T-Mobile's stance on Android to prevail at AT&T.


By the way: Something everyone has been missing when it comes to talking about subscriber numbers. When Cingular bought AT&T Wireless, Cingular became the largest cellular carrier. When Verizon bought Alltel, Verizon leapfrogged Cingular. Now AT&T is leapfrogging Verizon again.
 
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magbarn said:
This. I'm quite surprised by how much of a lovefest there is for this sh!^^y merger. Sprint is on the ropes and will be eaten up soon by Verizon. We probably won't be getting Canadian healthcare soon, but we'll soon get their really bad cell phone plans. Anyone who thinks otherwise isn't a student of history of big business in this country.
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Yea, supposedly Verizon and AT&T were in cahoots to keep the iPhone off the other carriers since Apple got rid of exclusivity...
 
butterfly0fdoom said:
What's actually going to happen is T-Mobile plans will still be honored until the customer renews and signs a new contract. However, AT&T has made it clear that they intend to use 1700/AWS for LTE, sticking with 850/Cellular for HSPA/HSPA+. What this means for T-Mobile customers is they're going to have to get new phones. The benefit of GSM is that the T-Mobile customers getting forced off of AWS don't have to renew their contract to get new phones that work with AT&T's rearranged spectrum allocation, since they have the option of buying an unlocked phone and sticking their SIM card in (out-of-contract phones won't work unless AT&T configures them to allow T-Mobile SIM cards).


What I'm really hoping for is T-Mobile's stance on Android to prevail at AT&T.


By the way: Something everyone has been missing when it comes to talking about subscriber numbers. When Cingular bought AT&T Wireless, Cingular became the largest cellular carrier. When Verizon bought Alltel, Verizon leapfrogged Cingular. Now AT&T is leapfrogging Verizon again.
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Running out of frogs.
 
When T-Mobile was giving away phones around Valentines day it seemed that something like this was coming.

However, I thought AT&T and T-Mobile phones used different frequencies. Can those T-Mobile towers be used to increase coverage for existing AT&T customers without taking coverage away from T-Mobile customers?

I'm no expert in radio communications, so just wondering if anybody knows.
 
Awesome! Now if only we could get AT&T and Verizon to merge, then we could have one single corporation handling our entire countries cell communications & data. And bonus, with net neutrality dead, they'd have total control to restrict and charge us for whatever the hell they wanted to.
 
Even More™ for Families Unlimited Talk +Unlimited Text +Unlimited Data
This plan includes:
• Unlimited nationwide calling
• Unlimited domestic messages (text, picture, video, and IM) to share
• Unlimited Data access*
• Two-year agreement—great discounts on phones
• Two lines to start; add more lines if eligible*
• Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile calling
• Unlimited Nights and Weekends
• Free domestic long distance and no digital roaming charges across the US

*Plan price includes $30 Unlimited Data access.

*Additional lines: share existing Whenever Minutes and unlimited messages for $40 per month, per line; Or choose 200 Whenever Minutes for $15 per month, per line (for this option, please visit a T-Mobile retail store ). Unlimited Data is available for $30 per month, per line or 200 MB Data for $10 per month
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TMobile this is 179 a month

we have 4 phones with At&t 3 with Data ( All with unlimited text and 1 unlimited Iphone Data, 1 Android 2gb and 1 android 200mb) total is 223 a month

T Mobile
179 plus $40 month per additional lines = 179 plus 120 ( x3) so it would be $300 a month........... How does T mobile save you money again? :eek:

I see all the customization but you cannot do it online like At&t and it looks way complicated........... and then not all lines would have unlimited? and the Unlimited costs the same as my Unlimited does now.

With At&t taking over and the tether issue wave bye bye to the Tethering being done now on Tmobile.


When T-Mobile was giving away phones around Valentines day it seemed that something like this was coming.

However, I thought AT&T and T-Mobile phones used different frequencies. Can those T-Mobile towers be used to increase coverage for existing AT&T customers without taking coverage away from T-Mobile customers?

I'm no expert in radio communications, so just wondering if anybody knows.
Click to expand...

Uh no all GSM is standard frequencies, although there are a set number, QUad phones work just about all GSM services around the world.
Iphones are Quad GSM
 
T-Mobile Users: What Now?

[NEVER MIND READING THIS POST, THESE QUESTIONS WERE ALREADY ANSWERED ON THE PREVIOUS POSTS. SORRY]

If you are a T-Mobile user, what to do now?

- Stay with T-Mobile hoping to be able to maintain your plan after the transition?
Otherwise, I would have to kiss goodbye to my $20 Unlimited 3G Plan :(

- Hope for AT&T to present you a new Plan offer for T-Mobile subscribers only?


- What's going to happen to current T-Mobile 3G phones?
- Is AT&T going to maintain the same compatible 3G Radio frequency or migrate T-Mobile equipment to match their 3G Radio Frequency, rendering all current T-Mobile 3G Phones useless for 3G?


On another topic, I would now expect Verizon to acquire Sprint, if that would benefit it in any way. Or Sprint will go bye-bye or be absorbed by some other company.
 
Kar98 said:
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said one of the goals of the acquisition would be to move T-Mobile customers to smart phones, which have higher monthly fees. AT&T "will look hard" at keeping T-Mobile's no-contract plans, he said.

F•ck. You.
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I've already pointed out I don't like this, as a current T customer. However, the goal of all the providers is to move all customers to higher-priced services. That is nothing new, so I wouldn't get worked up over this particular quote, probably in response to some leading question, too.
 
Amazing Iceman said:
[NEVER MIND READING THIS POST, THESE QUESTIONS WERE ALREADY ANSWERED ON THE PREVIOUS POSTS. SORRY]

If you are a T-Mobile user, what to do now?

- Stay with T-Mobile hoping to be able to maintain your plan after the transition?
Otherwise, I would have to kiss goodbye to my $20 Unlimited 3G Plan :(
Click to expand...

T-Mobile's FAQ page does say that AT&T will honor CONTRACT pricing - but when the contract ends... :eek:

Have fun!
 
JAT said:
I've already pointed out I don't like this, as a current T customer. However, the goal of all the providers is to move all customers to higher-priced services. That is nothing new, so I wouldn't get worked up over this particular quote, probably in response to some leading question, too.
Click to expand...

So basically their main reason is to get rid of the competition. I didn't get an iPhone because I hate AT&T expensive plans.
As you probably have it already, my 3G plan allows me to do tethering for no additional charge.
Grrr..!! This totally sucks!
 
Howdr said:
Uh no all GSM is standard frequencies, although there are a set number, QUad phones work just about all GSM services around the world.
Iphones are Quad GSM
Click to expand...

If what you say is true, then we should have been able to use the iPhone on T-Mobiles network and connect at 3G speeds. This hasn't been the case due to the frequency incompatibility that exists between the two carriers.
 
Not sure why anyone would believe that their bills will go down as well as their speeds/coverage going up

If anything, I would be willing to bet AT&T raising rates moreso than usual and blames the price of buying out TMobile as the reason while giving consumers zero upgrade
 
iphone 4/3gs/3g from att will not work properly on tmobiles existing 3g network as tmobile's aws 3g uses both 1700/2100 simultaneously, whereas having 2100 mhz iphone 4 without the 1700 will just default to edge. Im sure they will work something out in the future, but i don't see how existing hardware will work fully on both networks. It is clear that there will be growing pains until more universal hardware is built As far as vanilla coverage goes, for phone and sms goes, all subscribers will benefit.

im know others have said this before in this thread, but it doesn't seem to have sunk in that although both att and tmobile are "gsm", their 3g technologies are quite different and generally not compatible.
 
Well that settles it then. My contract with AT&T was about switch to T-mobile.:mad:

My wife has been bugging me about wanting an iPhone. My stance was no way in H-E-double hockey stick an I gonna stay with AT&T. Sure as you know what, I wasn't gonna go with the mobile lockdown king. So No iPhone for you. Or so I thought.

I guess she wins again. iPhone for her. So there's no need to subsidy lock the iPhone for the US market anymore, is there?:)
 
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