AT&T is buying T-Mobile USA. What does that mean for you?
You’ve probably seen those T-Mobile commercials where the network is personified as a smart young woman who reacts with cheerful pity to the doofusy bald middle-aged man who represents AT&T. Apparently, AT&T didn’t take such mockery too hard because they’re getting ready to write T-Mobile’s parent company a check for $39 billion and acquire the company (or maybe they were so consumed with rage that they just had to obliterate T-Mobile).
So what is AT&T getting for its money? According to Molly Wood, executive editor at CNET.com, they’re getting infrastructure, bandwidth, and customers. It’s a quick way to expand their company and their reach as their battle against Verizon continues. There have been rumors in recent weeks that Sprint may have been on the verge of acquiring T-Mobile USA and at least AT&T won’t have to worry about that anymore.
Molly says if you’re a T-Mobile customer your bill may be going up and we can all expect to see more AT&T exclusive phones down the road. But there are a lot of regulatory hurdles to clear and it may be months before this deal is approved.
Also in this program, NASA’s idea to shoot lasers at space junk.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
