• AT&T ups ante in T-Mobile bid

    by
    whitetigergrowl
    Published on 10-01-2011 08:57 PM
    8 Comments Comments
    http://www.chieftain.com/business/lo...cc4c03286.html

    AT&T promises no job layoffs at sites such as its 500-worker call center in Pueblo if its bid to buy rival T-Mobile is successful, the company's Colorado president says.

    Bill Soards, who visited Pueblo this week, said the merger also would allow AT&T to move quickly on adding upgraded broadband services — including 4G service — in Southern Colorado and other under-served areas, taking advantage of wireless spectrum T-Mobile now owns.

    AT&T recently committed to make billions of dollars of major infrastructure upgrades across the country if the sale goes through, he said. The system upgrades would generate an estimated 60,000 to 90,000 jobs in the U.S. in coming years, he said.

    And, beyond the pledge of no layoffs at its own call centers, AT&T promises no layoffs at T-Mobile centers and also agrees to bring back 5,000 call center jobs now overseas, he said. The pledge of no layoffs is "particularly relevant here in Pueblo with our center having over 500 employees," he noted.

    Soards called the Department of Justice's recent move to try to block the T-Mobile sale "unexpected" and reiterated AT&T's vow to fight regulators' actions in court, if necessary. The company and regulators also are trying another round of negotiations in hopes of reaching a settlement, he said.

    AT&T maintains the sale, including the company's acquisition of T-Mobile's thus-far underutilized wireless spectrum in areas where AT&T's holdings are limited, offers the best route to bring upgraded broadband services to large parts of the country.

    In Colorado, the company continues to enlist public officials and consumer advocates in a letter writing campaign urging federal regulators to OK the sale. "We've had a number of local organizations and agencies write letters of support," he said.

    Many of the state's counties, responding to Gov. John Hickenlooper's recent request for economic development ideas, listed improved broadband services as one of their top needs, Soards noted.
    This article was originally published in forum thread: AT&T ups ante in T-Mobile bid started by whitetigergrowl View original post
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    Tags: at&t, merger, t-mobile
    Comments 8 Comments
    1. TZ617's Avatar
      TZ617 - 10-01-2011, 09:13 PM
      It's amazing how stupid they believe the public is (and they may be right). It wasn't that many years ago that AT&T and Verizon, among others, pledged to compete vigorously with each other for landline business if they were given clearance to sell long distance and obtain other things on their wish list that had been prohibited. If they get what they want they will jettison these new promises just as they did the competition promise from before. They will hire a few more congressional and FCC staffers who helped grease the wheels to pay them back for their "help", and go on with business as usual.
    1. monkeyboy's Avatar
      monkeyboy - 10-02-2011, 10:30 PM
      mmm, and how about layoffs and closings of Tmo retail stores? let's see a promise of no pricing increases or service decreases for Tmo or AT&T for the next ten years...

      let's also see a promise for cheap wholesale roaming rates, including for LTE, for any interested carriers, including Sprint, Metro PCS, etc.
    1. whitetigergrowl's Avatar
      whitetigergrowl - 10-02-2011, 10:55 PM
      Out of curiosity how many people lost their jobs at Alltel (which was right behind TMobile in size) when Verizon took them over. Those numbers I haven't heard yet.
    1. HF305's Avatar
      HF305 - 10-03-2011, 07:40 AM
      Like any politician, AT&T can promise the moon; the only fact that matters-- the only constant in this analysis-- is that once T-Mobile USA is gone, they will be gone. There will be zero competition in GSM and much less competition in cellular overall.

      Much like electric utilities back in the early 1900's, the only way that rural broadband is going to get built out is by government zero APR loans or other government subsidies. It makes no sense for any company to do it on their own or it would already have been done.
    1. Extraordinary's Avatar
      Extraordinary - 10-03-2011, 04:17 PM
      How about removing silly 2GB and 150GB data limits? 2GB... its 2012 now, time to get real. Supply enough data for streaming video and audio but get a limit to stop people from abuse. How about 5-10GB for $25? Then $1 per additional GB. I would certainly like to see that.
    1. du2vye's Avatar
      du2vye - 10-03-2011, 08:14 PM
      The public is so dumb? How about the FCC when it's their job to understand this stuff. Only 2 or 3 carriers for the entire U.S? Maybe someone should explain to me again how deregulation was for the public's benefit...
    1. whitetigergrowl's Avatar
      whitetigergrowl - 10-03-2011, 08:18 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by du2vye View Post
      The public is so dumb? How about the FCC when it's their job to understand this stuff. Only 2 or 3 carriers for the entire U.S? Maybe someone should explain to me again how deregulation was for the public's benefit...
      I thought many of the smaller carriers could roam off said networks. Also I'm guessing no one has an answer to my question?
    1. primetechv2's Avatar
      primetechv2 - 10-04-2011, 07:08 PM
      No competition, no competitive rates. Pretty simple.

      Quote Originally Posted by whitetigergrowl View Post
      I thought many of the smaller carriers could roam off said networks. Also I'm guessing no one has an answer to my question?
      I'm sure the giant Alltel/Verizon merger didn't hurt anybody, lol. Possibly because they're still transitioning, and tiny areas that didn't transition properly have been screwed over for the past half a year.