While the word has been that AT&T has an uphill battle in front of them in their takeover of T-Mobile USA, AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson thinks otherwise. He feels that the deal "is very instrumental" in improving network service, for devices such as the iPhone, and one that could improve capacity on AT&T's wireless network by almost 30 percent in a portion of the largest U.S. cities.
Stephenson commented on the proposed acquisition today at an event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He said the deal could also reduce charges for overseas roaming.
"Virtually on the day you close the deal, getting a 30 percent lift in capacity in New York City: that's a significant improvement in call quality and data throughout," said Stephenson. As part of the purchase, AT&T has said that it would expand the rollout of its high-speed wireless technology, and would help the FCC goal of making broadband available more widely. AT&T would offer its LTE technology to an additional 46.5 million people as part of the deal.
As mentioned above, AT&T has already faced some concerns about the proposed merger limiting competition in the U.S. Stephenson feels that those concerns shouldn't hold any merit.
"This is an intensely competitive industry," he notes. "It is intense before we do this transaction, it will be intense after we do this transaction. Sprint, the third-largest provider in the U.S, already stated on March 28 that they would seek to have the deal blocked by U.S. agencies.
via Bloomberg Businessweek
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