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AT&T to Acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion
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This could be very good news for people on AT&T right now. It means that you might just get better coverage once the networks are merged. Where I live, AT&T's data network is inexcusably awful. I'll have full 3G bars and won't be able to do a damned thing with the data network. Hopefully getting the T-Mobile tower in the area will fix that. I can see coverage for people in urban areas getting better, too. I'll admit, it's a smart move for AT&T. It shores up their network almost instantly and has the very real potential of fixing a lot of their existing problems. Then, because they already have the towers in place, it allows them to get better 4G (if it really is "4G") coverage pushed out that much faster as a lot of the regulatory crapola just got bypassed.
Dunno what it means for T-Mobile users, but it could mean the end of that BS 500MB cap on data that they recently slapped into place on new contracts.
Dunno what it means for T-Mobile users, but it could mean the end of that BS 500MB cap on data that they recently slapped into place on new contracts.
Let's just take a second and think of the lay off's that we will see in the near future. There are T-Mobile shops and ATT shops right across the street from each other all over the US. Also a lot of administrative employees will suddenly find themself "redundant".
Usually Wallstreet will give soon an amout of savings due to "synergy" that they expect. Divide that by $200 000 and you have a good estimate how many people will be laid off.
My guess is that they will need to save 4-5 Billion given the size of the deal.
$5 000 000 000 / $ 200 000 = 25 000 future unemployed people.
A very rough estimate I admit and not all will get the boot this year but we talk about a lot of people here.
Ah, yeah, the savings usually don't go to the customer. It usually goes to the Banks and maybe the shareholders.
Usually Wallstreet will give soon an amout of savings due to "synergy" that they expect. Divide that by $200 000 and you have a good estimate how many people will be laid off.
My guess is that they will need to save 4-5 Billion given the size of the deal.
$5 000 000 000 / $ 200 000 = 25 000 future unemployed people.
A very rough estimate I admit and not all will get the boot this year but we talk about a lot of people here.
Ah, yeah, the savings usually don't go to the customer. It usually goes to the Banks and maybe the shareholders.
Oh, you mean like lowes and home depot not hurting my local mom and pop shops. Got it.
Funny, (sad actually), kind of like how the major bookstore killed off the mom and pop bookstores. Now the big chain bookstore are being closed down.
Yeah-I know these are different circumstances/scenarios but it is really sad how much power is being consolidated into the hand of a few individuals/companies.
Not exactly. The original AT&T was broken up, and the local telephone businesses were split up into Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCS). Verizon is the result of the merger of several of those RBOCs; but the current AT&T includes former RBOCs Pacific Bell, BellSouth, Southwest Bell Corp (SBC), and others.
For the obvious reason: if you run the network and the phone's reception sucks, then you're to blame. If you don't run the network, then you just let everyone blame the company that does.
Exactly, the bells still operate under the at&t umbrella. My paycheck says "Pacific Bell Telephone Company".
I'm hoping that Apple will include all frequencies on iPhone 5 so iPhone 5 users can take advantage of better speeds.
You never know, this could be a good thing. May be an easy reason for Apple to add the AWS/1700 3G band to the iPhone. They've added other bands in the past to help extend support for existing carriers around the world (800 & 900 bands added last summer to the iPhone 4).
There may be some layoffs, but they will need to keep many to deal with the increase in traffic. I would guess they will reduce new-hires going forward and fill needs with TM workers.
No apple buys sprint! Makes iPhone 5 exclusive to sprint..... Jk
My uncle is a construction project manager for t-mobile, he builds the towers, he is worried he will lose his job.
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As a lifetime AT&T subscriber, I like this announcement a lot.
As a lifetime AT&T subscriber, I like this announcement a lot.
Me too. There's usually some retaliatory merging so each can boast of having the largest network.
And then after that: Verizon + AT&T.
Yeah because they were REALLY thinking that when they were competing with Verizon, Sprint, AND T-mobile
lets see
Cut off unlimited Data
Talks of cutting off unlimited Data for DSL
$40/m does NOT get you unlimited Nights and Weekends
and gunning after jailbreak tethering
Lets see when they become the only GSM carrier in the U.S.
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My son just left AT&T for T-Mobile. I guess he doesn't he doesn't have to have the iPhone 4 unlocked and jailbroken anymore.
My son just left AT&T for T-Mobile. I guess he doesn't he doesn't have to have the iPhone 4 unlocked and jailbroken anymore.
But once you have a handset, you cannot easily switch between these four carriers in the US but you can in Germany. The underlying argument from economic theory is that infrastructure based business have it easier to create a (natural) monopoly, unless access to the infrastructure is fairly easy. Ensuring that all cell phone providers use compatible technology thus reduces the potential for monopolies. Of course, basically no monopoly is absolute, how high the avoidance or switching costs are defining the strength of a monopoly.
Well, my experience does not go back that far, but when I came to US for the first time in the 1990s, I was surprised by the horrible fixed line phone quality in some locations (those black telephones with the large rounded handsets).