In a formal move with the FCC, T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS submitted official papers on October 18th seeking approval for their anticipated merger. According to the FCC filing, the companies will send similar documents to US antitrust authorities, specifically the Department of Justice at a later date.
The new company will have 42.5 million customers according to the most recent data, or about 11.7% of the US wireless market. That number is comparative to the 58.5% combined share of AT&T and Verizon or Sprint’s 15.2%.
As has been repeated in earlier reports, the new company will continue using the T-Mobile name, keeping MetroPCS as a separate brand extending it to new cities allowing customers to have more access to smartphones and tablet computers, according to the FCC filing. Another goal of the anticipated merger according to the FCC filing is the combined entity being in a strengthened position to better distribute fixed costs of the network over a broader base, providing greater pricing flexibility.
Furthermore, the FCC filing says the transaction won’t harm competition and will instead strengthen the smallest of what the FCC described as a nationwide carrer. The new company intends to be the leading low-priced carrier in the US, with a focus on offering plans attractive to customers who seek affordability.
Editors Note: To avoid any confusion, the use of the term “New Company” is just general business talk and in no way relates to the actual naming of this new entity as described above as retaining the T-Mobile name.