Sprint and T-Mobile are merging. What does that mean for you?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The $26 billion T-Mobile Sprint merger, which on Tuesday cleared one of the last hurdles for approval, includes several pledges to keep regulators happy — but the unification of two of the four largest phone service providers in the U.S. leaves some question marks for consumers.

-snip-

Will my phone still be compatible?

T-Mobile has a wide coverage map, potentially improving calls for Sprint customers, but the two phone providers operate on different networks, a frequent headache for people looking to switch plans. T-Mobile is on a GSM network while Sprint uses CDMA — which means Sprint consumers with older phones might need to buy a new one.

Who will be my new phone provider?

T-Mobile will soon be taking over Sprint's billing once the deal is closed, but Sprint's prepaid customers and those of Sprint-owned Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile are being sold to Dish, the satellite company.

Can I keep my unlimited plan?

The merger may affect the continued availability of unlimited plans, since Sprint and T-Mobile fought hard on this turf, pushing AT&T and Verizon to compete. Over time, a lack of competition on the unlimited front could make it less likely phone companies will offer them. Public interest group Free Press suggests customers could end up losing such plans in favor of capped plans that choke users after data limits are used.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/so-sprint-and-t-mobile-are-merging-what-does-that-mean-for-you/ar-BBZTCKD?li=BBnb7Kz

[lordsummerisle]

1. Like the results of many mergers

Higher prices/rates and fewer choices...

[MicaelS]

2. Be interesting to see what Best Buy does.

They only carry ATT, Verizon and Sprint. Refused to carry TMobile because they would not residuals.

[Ms. Toad]

3. Another factor people may not be aware of -

Many of the 3d party (cheaper) carriers use the Sprint network. My $10/month, unlmited talk and text plan, uses the Sprint network. Prior to this plan I was on a different 3d party carrier who also used the Sprint network.

What will happen with those?

[fescuerescue]

7. Depends on how long the corp to corp contract was written

It's probably buried in the annual report of carrier in question.

[Ms. Toad]

9. Correct - I was just pointing out that many of the cheap phone services

are through Sprint - but not branded Sprint. This might have a much bigger impact than most people are consciously aware of.

https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones/Guides/sprint-mvnos

[fescuerescue]

12. The top customers/buyers of all Telco's...

Are the other Telco's. Been that way for awhile and still is.

This created a situation ripe for fraud which Worldcom took advantage of (Bernie Ebbers went to prison over this).

One of the tricks they would luse ooks like this:

1) Worldcom leases tower from ATT for $X a year for 10 years
2) ATT leases another nearby tower from Worldcom for $X a year for 10 years
3) Worldcom and ATT both recognize and report revenue of 10 times $X immediately.
4) Worldcom and ATT both depreciate both circuits 1/10 a year over the course of 10 years.

The result? Both carriers report income on said circuits, while charging off 1/10 of the revenue each year.

Not only was it phantom income that truly only represented an expense, that phantom income was accelerated by a decade, while the expenses incurred were buried for 10 years.

Since then the laws are a little tighter, but deals similar to this are still in place.

[Sewa]

4. T-mobile is the worst. I dropped Sprint

after the merger was announced.

[MurrayDelph]

8. I had a company phone from T-Mobile 10 years ago.

It didn't work in my house.

It barely worked if I went into my backyard.

In the middle of the San Fernando Valley (Just off of Roscoe and the 405. You can't get much more middle of the Valley than that).

So what does this merger mean to me? Other than yet another bribe to curry favor with Trump worked, nothing.

[abqtommy]

5. Don't make no never-mind to me. I use Tracfone.

[Lancero]

6. ...Happen to know what network it runs on in your area?

Tracfone - And all the other names they own and operate - is a MVNO. They don't fund or operate their own network infrastructure, they piggyback off of the infrastructure of other companies. Like Verizion, AT&T... Sprint, and T-mobile.

[Ms. Toad]

10. I was about to point out the same thing. n/t

[abqtommy]

11. According to the information I have my 3G phone runs on the GSM network.