Sprint and T-Mobile have worked out the broad terms of a $32 billion merger that would potentially turn the combined company into a much more powerful competitor in the huge US wireless market.
The deal worked out by negotiators calls for Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) to pay about $40 a share for T-Mobile US Inc. in a stock-and-cash arrangement, according to multiple news reports Thursday morning. That represents about a 17% premium over T-Mobile's closing stock on price on Wednesday. Neither of the companies were commenting on the reports this morning.
Even with the price apparently settled, though, the two companies must still hammer out a formal merger contract over the next few days or weeks. So the deal could still fall through if other terms can't be worked out.
If the deal is consummated, it would bring together the third- and fourth-biggest wireless carriers in the US, thus creating a much larger rival to the dominant duo of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ). SoftBank Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son, whose company owns Sprint, has long argued that such a merger is necessary to create a national carrier with the resources to upgrade its network and compete against AT&T and Sprint. (See SoftBank Could Consider Euro Acquistions,)
But, by narrowing the wireless field in the US from four to three major carriers, the proposed deal would raise strong regulatory concerns in Washington, D.C. Both the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have already signaled that they favor four strong players in the market, not three, and regulators stepped in to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion bid for T-Mobile just three years ago.
Despite such concerns, the news reports say, both companies think their timing may be better now because of new developments at the FCC, including the latest stormy debate over net neutrality rules and new spectrum auction rules that appear to favor AT&T and Verizon over the smaller carriers. They are also hoping that the recent wave of proposed big US media mergers, including AT&T's $49 billion deal to buy DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)'s $45 billion agreement to purchase Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), may have shifted the regulatory landscape.
Under the proposed deal, Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), the majority owner of T-Mobile with a 67% stake, would continue to hold a 15% to 20% stake in the new combined company, according to the reports. That would free up the German carrier to concentrate on its European markets.
We'll have much more to say on this proposed merger as more details unfold. What had already promised to be a busy summer has just gotten even busier.
— Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading
I actually think AT&T's reactions are mostly cosmetic, with the lion's share of price cuts being only modest cuts to 10 GB plans and higher. Sprint has responded somewhat with their "Framily" plans, but Verizon continues to believe they're network is SO GOOD they simply don't have to compete on price.