Could T-Mobile be interested in MetroPCS?

The mobile industry mergers and acquisitions rumors do not want to die. Over the past few months we’ve heard talk involving MetroPCS, linking them to traditional target Leap Wireless and even AT&T. Word surfaced recently that Deutsche Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile USA, was interested in Sprint. The latter might have been a smoke screen for a different move. According to the Financial Times, Deutsche Telekom’s real target might be MetroPCS.

The rumors aren’t conservative in the slightest. From the FT article:

In fact it was more than a whiff: usually knowledgeable sources are convinced that Deutsche Telekom is in full-throated discussions to combine its T-Mobile business in America with its smaller, fast-footed rival MetroPCS.

The term “full-throated” makes this seem serious. As we’ve learned from the myriad rumors circulating not only in the mobile space, but almost every tech industry, even strongly worded rumors do not always come to fruition. There’s always room for overstatement, and this could certainly be the case in DT and MetroPCS.

Last week, on our sister site, I wrote about the obstacles T-Mobile would face in a Sprint acquisition. It would seem that many of those same obstacles stand in the way for DT and MetroPCS — like Sprint, Metro operates a CDMA network. However, the same day that I wrote the article, MetroPCS announced aggressive LTE plans. It is the next-generation aspect which might interest Deutsche Telekom.

If this rumor does have any teeth, we’ll likely hear more in the next few days. And, again, all of this might be a tactic by MetroPCS to get Leap back to the bargaining table. That would seem the best merger scenario for both companies.

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