Deutsche Telekom Chief Financial Officer Timotheus Hoettges told a German newspaper he expects to close the merger of the company’s US unit and MetroPCS sometime before June 2013. Of course, all that assumes the MetroPCS board votes in favor, regulators give their blessing and Sprint doesn’t try and outbid Deutsche Telekom.
“The transaction is not likely be carried out until the second quarter of 2013”, Hoettges told daily Boersenzeitung.
The timetable seems reasonable given the amount of time it can take for US regulators to complete their approval. The deal is expected to boost T-Mobile USA to a more independent state not reliant on their parent company for financial support. Along with financial independence, it’s anticipated that Deutsche Telekom will use this transaction as a way to exit the US market completely if it so chooses.