T-Mobile and Sprint are merging

[Xist]

I am trying to get some work done, put pages are refusing to load. As far as I know it is the server and there is not anything that I could do. I decided to load Fox News while I was waiting just because people decide they are angry when Fox News comes up.

To be honest, browsing their home page was annoying, but whatever. This is the only headline that interested me. "The merger will create more new jobs than T-Mobile and Sprint would separately, the two companies said in a press release." https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/...all-stock-deal

Has that ever happened in the history of mergers? Don't they always lay off redundant positions--in the case of Albertson's and Safeway, all of the competent Safeway staff probably responsible for the company being profitable?

Don't blame Fox, this is from T-Mobile.com: "Combination Will Create Thousands of American Jobs and Boost U.S. Economic Growth." https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-a...s/5gforall.htm

[freebeard]

Who knows?

I decided to load Fox News while I was waiting just because people decide they are angry when Fox News comes up.

This is the interesting part. They don't decide to be angry, they decide they already are angry?

[Xist]

I am sure they would claim Fox News makes them angry. Is that like making my friend ink?

[redpoint5]

That assumes they take greater market share away from their competitors, in which case, they didn't create jobs, they just shifted workers from other companies over to their own.

I'm not sure where this is going. Sprint uses the CDMA protocol and T-Mobile uses GSM. Sprint had previously bought Nextel and the lower bandwidth frequencies they owned. I would guess they will own the broadest spectrum of the radio frequencies with this move, and compatible phones would be international roaming capable due to GSM.

I wonder if Google Project Fi was an early sign of the merger considering the collaboration between Sprint / T-Mobile and Google? Nexus phones have had the capability to connect to either network for years.

[freebeard]

At some point there's no more competitors to gobble up.

....and then SpaceX nukes them on price with broadband HTML from low Earth orbit.

[redpoint5]

There are always MVNOs to compete against. I've had my wife on various ones since I've known her.

I put my parents on an MVNO beginning about 7 years ago. I've got experience with Republic Wireless, Ting, FreedomPop, RingPlus, Straight Talk, and Project Fi.

On the Project Fi plan, the total for unlimited talk / text on the Sprint / T-Mobile network for 3 people is $55 / month. Data is $1 / 100 MB, which is pricey, but they hardly use data considering how ubiquitous WiFi is.

[samwichse]

I'm of two minds on this:

As long as TMO is in charge, it seems like a good thing, because TMO has basically been the driving force behind the move to no-contract, no overages, cheaper data, and breaking the "rent" cost of your phone out of your bill. The combination of the two will be much closer in size (and the ability to compete, hopefully) with ATT/Verizon.

But it will also be sad there are only 3 players left in the market. Easier to collude, the lower than number is.

We'll see, I guess.

Sam

[Xist]

I read Verizon customers liked having contracts, but Verizon took them away anyway. I pay just as much as before, but now I need to come up with the money for a new phone when mine breaks.

[freebeard]

https://entertainment.slashdot.org/s...buy-tv-service

Last week, Comcast announced speed increases for customers in Houston and the Oregon/SW Washington areas. The announcement headlines were "Comcast increases Internet speeds for some video customers." Customers with 60Mbps Internet download speeds are being upped to 150Mbps; 150Mbps subscribers are going to 250Mbps; and 250Mbps subscribers are getting a raise to 400Mbps or 1Gbps. Comcast says speed increases will kick in automatically without raising the customers' monthly bills -- but only if they subscribe to certain bundles that include both Internet and TV service.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

I read Verizon customers liked having contracts, but Verizon took them away anyway. I pay just as much as before, but now I need to come up with the money for a new phone when mine breaks.

How much are you paying per month for cell service? Have you explored the MVNO options?

Bundling the cost of phones into the monthly payment insulates the customer from feeling the burden of cost, which contributes to higher overall costs. It's why healthcare is so expensive, because the outrageous costs are bundled into the monthly premium and distributed over the course of your entire life.

Good used phones can be had for $200 or less, and you can always finance one on a credit card, or make due with an older spare phone until you save enough for the one you want.

My point is, bundling isn't a great service offered to consumers, rather a tool of deception unwitting consumers partake in.

Originally Posted by freebeard

https://entertainment.slashdot.org/s...buy-tv-service

Meh. My household is a heavy user with multiple roommates and video streaming. 60 Mbps is fine. It's the upload speed which always sucks, and which is never disclosed in ANY literature. I challenge any person to find out what the improved upload speeds will be.