The
old saying goes, you have to break an egg to make an omelette. If
Sprint and T-Mobile want to whip up a merger, they may have to sell off a
profitable but politically sensitive part of their respective
businesses: pre-paid subscription, reported Bloomberg.
Together, T-Mobile’s Metro brand and Sprint’s Boost and Virgin Mobile
brands make up the largest segment of the U.S. pay-as-you-go market,
with about 42 percent, according to Bloomberg. The selling of
assets to accommodate a merger suggests that the carriers are
anticipating pushback from the Justice Department’s antitrust division
and the FCC, which both have to sign off on the transaction.
The federal overseers of a potential merger have expressed concern it
will hurt wireless competition. Specifically, worry surrounds the idea
that a consolidated, three-carrier market would harm low-income
customers, the predominant users of pay-as-you-go wireless plans, with
little or no access to credit, by reducing choices and raising prices.
Comments? Email Us.
No comments:
Post a Comment