T-Mobile and Sprint Merger Expected to Receive Final Approval Tomorrow

A judge overseeing a lawsuit aiming to stop the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint is planning to rule in favor of allowing the deal to go forward, reports The New York Times.

The FCC formally approved the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint in November 2019, but attorneys general from 13 states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit aiming to block it. The states argued that combining the two companies was not in the public's interest as it would reduce competition and lead to higher smartphone bills.

tmobile sprint logos
Final arguments in the antitrust suit took place last month, and sources that spoke to The New York Times said that none of the parties involved have read the judge's ruling yet, so there could be conditions or restrictions attached.

Both Sprint and T-Mobile are planning to make announcements related to the merger on Tuesday, as the lawsuit was the final roadblock preventing it from moving forward. If the judge does indeed rule in favor of Sprint and T-Mobile, the newly combined company will be known as T-Mobile and it will have 100 million customers.

The two companies have committed to building a nationwide 5G network covering 97 percent of the U.S. population in three years and 99 percent within six years. They have also promised not to raise their prices for three years following the merger's completion.

Under the terms of the deal, both T-Mobile and Sprint were required to sell some of their assets to Dish, as the FCC wants to see Dish become the fourth nationwide facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...

Top Rated Comments

glowplug Avatar
75 months ago

I can see where the antitrust lawsuit is coming from, but the merger will ultimately help boost 5G coverage
But it won’t. This is what merger proponents claim but it never ever happens. See The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age by Tim Wu.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CJ Dorschel Avatar
75 months ago

But it won’t. This is what merger proponents claim but it never ever happens. See The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age by Tim Wu.
Exactly. One example that burns me to this day:

The Time Warner/Spectrum merger. I remember being in touch with friends who worked at Time Warner for the two year period between the announcement and finalization and plan roll outs that came in Feb/March 2017. I kept every document sent from Time Warner promising plans would be lower, bills simplified, faster speeds, and records of all communications on how my plans would change for the better etc etc. and was in regular touch with my friends who worked in corp as I wanted to take advantage of the faster internet speeds and the plans they initially intended to roll out. I have a home in Pittsford (Rochester) NY which locked out other cable providers besides Time Warner as Rochester Tele/Frontier and Monroe County had a "deal". No one could lay new lies down which meant satellite or DSL where the only other options. Greenlight Networks found a way around it by going door to door over the past few years which bypassed stipulations but in order to get the service your neighborhood has to pass the 60% demand threshold for Greenlight to lay down new lines so there are parts that aren't getting service years later while a neighborhood right next to me has had it for years.

Then February 2017 comes and Spectrum announces a delay. Turns out they got tipped off from Ajit in the FCC that the administration was deregulating the telecom industry for "national security" which really gave them the green light to increase prices esp in markets where there was no competition. Now ~75% of the US internet/cable market is owned by one large conglomerate. Gone are the days of renewing contracts every 12 months through the retention dept as they don't bother working with longtime customers since they know there aren't better alternatives unless you cut the cord yet that's just cable and most don't know how or want to be bothered. My monthly for 350/30Mbps, silver tier cable tv, and phone is $287 and if you try to remove any one of the three it goes up in price as they want people on their package plans.

Longterm the same thing will happen with Sprint and t-Mobile Stateside. Another Ma Bell with promises they won't keep. It's all about the Benjamins.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
75 months ago

Subscribed to see how this pans out. Hopefully for the better. T-Mobile needs a good boost.
Boost (Mobile) is going to get sold to Dish Network if merger gets approved. So no Boost for T-Mobile. ;)


Probably same as at&t and Verizon, or maybe just under what they charge.

No one knows, and if anyone says otherwise are simply speculating without hard evidence.
With John Legere stepping down at the end of April 2020, I fear the new T-Mobile will not be the disrupting trailblazer of old. They'll start by laying off hundreds if not thousands of jobs. Then after 3 years, prices will rise and plans will change in their favor.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TTTedP Avatar
75 months ago

Time to buy sprint stock
Nvm already up 70%
I'm in it below $4 ?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cbusbuck Avatar
75 months ago

I can see where the antitrust lawsuit is coming from, but the merger will ultimately help boost 5G coverage across the US.
Oh you're a funny guy. :p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaisonline Avatar
75 months ago
I was hoping this wouldn’t go through .

Less competition only means 2 things. Higher prices and generally, worse customer service, for consumers.

Phones aside, U.S. voice & data plans were the cheapest in the mid-2000s when we had Cingular, Sprint, Nextel, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to choose from. I know it was a different era in terms of phone tech, but carriers were forced to consider 5 other competitors when pricing plans & offering promotions.

just my opinion.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)