T-Mobile, SunCom deal OKd

Before large telecommunications purchases can become official, they have to be approved by the FCC. This is to ensure that nothing outside of the purchaser and purchasee are affected by the transaction. So if AT&T wanted to purchase a small cell company, but doing so would interfere with airwaves not owned by either, the FCC would step in and force them to correct the issue before they would sign off on it. And then there’s the whole anti-trust issue, which usually goes to the Department of Justice. But in any regard, there seem to be no snags in the T-Mobile-SunCom deal, and it should be going through for the reported $2.4 billion.

T-Mobile will be happy to pick up SunCom’s 1.1 million customers, driving them closer to the 30-million mark. They’re still a long way from Sprint, the nation’s No. 4 carrier at 54 million subscribers, but every little bit helps.

There is no word currently whether T-Mobile will assimilate the SunCom brand or let it stand as is. The deal won’t be finalized until at least the end of the month, so we likely won’t hear anything until then at the earliest.

[Associated Press]

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