T-Mobile in talks to merge with Dish Network, say new rumors

By Andy Boxall June 4, 2015

t mobile ceo john legere bashes verizon wireless un carrier event hi res — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Rumors are spreading that T-Mobile is in talks to merge with Dish Network. First reported by the Wall Street Journal, it’s said the “two sides are in close agreement,” about the state of the two businesses should a merger go ahead, and outspoken T-Mobile CEO will possibly take on the role of joint CEO. Dish Network’s CEO Charlie Ergen would become company chairman.

It’s the latest in a string of rumors regarding the future of T-Mobile. It has previously been linked with AT&T and Sprint, but neither deal came to fruition. Dish Network has also been looking to enter the mobile world for some time, and it has also looked at acquiring Sprint in the past. In fact, way back in 2011, Dish also spoke out about an interest in acquiring T-Mobile.

According to the WSJ report, the T-Mobile/Dish Network deal is far from being final. It refers to the talks as “formative,” and no agreements have been made regarding the price and whether stock or cash would be used to pay. It also warns the two may not agree to merge at all. Sources speaking to CNNMoney confirm the talks are ongoing.

A Bloomberg report says it was Dish’s Charlie Ergen that instigated the talks, after contacting Deutsche Telekom about purchasing T-Mobile USA in September last year, apparently with the intention of making use of its bandwidth allocation, worth an estimated $50 billion.

During a recent earnings call, T-Mobile’s John Legere made several comments regarding mobile networks and cable companies merging in the future, although he didn’t mention Dish, or T-Mobile’s own plans. However, he has taken to Twitter in an effort to shoot down rumors of the merger, calling a Recode piece on the situation a, “snarky, sensational and shallow look at a rumor that deserves no comment.”

:) https://t.co/1TkFBpxwMs

— John Legere (@JohnLegere) June 4, 2015

All is not clear though. In another tweet, he replies only with a smiley face in reply to a complementary message about him running an entertainment company, suggesting the rumors aren’t entirely without substance.

At this time, there is no indication when a deal between T-Mobile and Dish Network may be struck, if at all.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR platform will officially run on T-Mobile’s 5G network

Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 695 480+ 680 5G 4G MOBILE PLATFORM.

T-Mobile announced on Tuesday morning that it's partnered with Qualcomm Technologies to exclusively provide the 5G connections for Qualcomm's new efforts in extended reality (XR). This includes the recently announced Snapdragon Spaces platform, an XR toolkit that's intended to make it easier for developers to pursue augmented-reality (AR) projects. That, in turn, is an effort to fuel new projects for Qualcomm's AR Glasses, which it hopes are the next big thing in the mobile space.

Qualcomm's vision here is that, via an always-on wearable -- whether that's an actual headset or simply a pair of lightweight goggles -- users can "automatically see and hear contextually important content" through a hands-free interface. Qualcomm has been talking this up since at least 2016, describing a mixed-reality HUD as the "natural evolution" from today's hands-on smartphone connectivity. Its other partners for the project include Niantic, which has its own recently announced metaverse-focused development program called Lightship, and Lenovo, which plans to move into the always-on AR space with its ThinkReality A3 glasses next year.

Mobile

T-Mobile takes big 5G coverage and speed wins in new report

T-Mobile smartphone.

T-Mobile is taking a victory lap today, after a new report by the independent analytics company Opensignal found T-Mobile won out in several key 5G categories against its competitors AT&T and Verizon.

T-Mobile came in first in a comparative writeup that measured the three leading cellular companies' 5G availability, reach, download speed, and upload speed in the United States. Verizon beat T-Mobile out on the 5G video, voice app, and games experiences; AT&T was shut out entirely and went home with a nice shiny "I tried" gold star.

Mobile

T-Mobile beats out Verizon for title of fastest mobile network in U.S.

Woman using phone while listening to headphones

For the first time in PCMag’s 12 years of testing mobile networks in the United States, T-Mobile has been named the fastest mobile network. With average download speeds of 162.3Mbps, T-Mobile greatly outperformed the competition in most cities. After years of lagging behind, how did T-Mobile turn it around?
Investing in C-band
In the race to provide 5G service, the major carriers pursued different strategies. Verizon and AT&T expanded their use of mmWave, a band of spectrum that provides high speeds but doesn’t travel far. Indoor places with heavy traffic like airports are perfect for mmWave, but it's unsuitable for outdoor broadband, especially in less-populated areas like the rural stretches between cities.

What did T-Mobile do differently? It bought Sprint. The acquisition gave T-Mobile access to a cache of midband airwaves, increasing their capacity to offer 5G service. T-Mobile was the only carrier with nationwide 5G that was considerably faster than 4G. In cities like Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, and Tucson, Arizona, T-Mobile 5G phones made use of 5G around 90% of the time.