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AT&T has officially given up on its plans to buy out T-Mobile. In a statement, the company said it had agreed with Deutsche Telekom to end the pursuit of a merger, which has come under increasing scrutiny from both the government and advocacy groups. The failed attempt to snatch up its smaller, German-owned competitor will ultimately cost Ma Bell $4 billion and it’s not paying those dues without some grumbling. In the release the FCC and DOJ bear the brunt of AT&T’s ire, which are accused of harming customers and exasperating the already looming spectrum shortage. Of course, this also hurts the carrier’s ability to compete with Verizon which has been on a spectrum buying spree as of late. As a consolation prize Deutsche Telekom and AT&T have entered a roaming agreement, though the structure of that deal and whether it’s purely international or domestic roaming remains to be seen. The complete press release from AT&T can be found after the break.Continue reading AT&T abandons T-Mobile merger plans
AT&T abandons T-Mobile merger plans originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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