The FCC is seeking more information from mobile carriers as part of its evaluation of T-Mobile’s (NASDAQ: TMUS) purchase of UScellular (NYSE: USM). T-Mobile announced in May 2024 it reached a deal to buy the mobile operations of UScellular, along with some of its spectrum for $4.4 billion in cash and assumed debt. If the deal closes, UScellular would retain its more than 4,400 towers.
The spectrum that T-Mobile is acquiring from UScellular includes low-band 600 MHz spectrum. T-Mobile already uses 600 MHz spectrum for its nationwide 5G service. The deal also includes 700 MHz low-band, 2.5 GHz mid-band, and 24 GHz millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, notes Phone Arena.
The FCC seeks information from competitive carriers for its scrutiny of whether approving the T-Mobile-UScellular transaction is in the public interest and would pass antitrust review.
The agency wrote to Verizon (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T), Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR), Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), EchoStar (NASDAQ: SATS), Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS), Cox, and Mediacom this week asking for their analyses of the deal’s potential impact on the companies’ business plans and the state of competition in the mobile wireless industry. The cablecos were also asked for the terms of the deals with carriers that allow them to provide their own mobile services and for information on their network engineering, according to Broadband Breakfast.
AT&T, EchoStar, Verizon and Altice also received letters seeking detailed data on subscriber numbers, revenue, costs, capacity, and network traffic demands. The FCC asked for responses by May 13.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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