The internet is abuzz today with reports that AT&T has purchased fellow domestic cell carrier, T-Mobile USA. According to the press release, AT&T will acquire the company from Germany’s Deutsche Telekom AG in a deal that is reportedly valued at $39 billion in cash and stock. The transaction is expected to close within a year, pending paperwork and regulatory approval.
Here we go again with AT&T having a pseudo-monopoly – their goal is very likely to once again establish the largest cellular networks in the United State. AT&T’s announcement pointed out that the company’s data traffic grew 8,000 percent over the past four years, with the expectation that it will increase by another order of magnitude between 2010 and 2015. They claim that their company will be in much better shape to handle the onslaught of high-demand users and devices.
Several blogs are opining that AT&T’s long-suffering iPhone users have something else to look forward to when the deal closes: more consistent wireless coverage and better voice service. Per the press release: “AT&T and T-Mobile USA customers will see service improvements – including improved voice quality – as a result of additional spectrum, increased cell tower density and broader network infrastructure. At closing, AT&T will immediately gain cell sites equivalent to what would have taken on average five years to build without the transaction, and double that in some markets. The combination will increase AT&T’s network density by approximately 30 percent in some of its most populated areas, while avoiding the need to construct additional cell towers.” Increased network density in some of the biggest iPhone trouble spots may finally cause AT&T’s coverage consistency to be where it needs to be.
