2012 Tech Predictions: A Look Back

AT&T, T-Mobile Merger Goes Through

Prediction:

AT&T (T) announced the deal to acquire T-Mobile USA from parent Deutsche Telekom(DTEGY.PK) for $39 billion back in March 2011 but the transaction has run into regulatory resistance and its prospects for completion are dim.

The thing is, though, the transaction was never going to pass muster in its initial form, as analysts and the media speculated all along. AT&T plans to record $4 billion charge related to a break-up fee in the fourth quarter but there's still a chance the acquisition could come to pass in 2012, albeit in a very different form.

Some have speculated that AT&T and T-Mobile will share a network, or that AT&T sells some of its existing assets to Leap Wireless (LEAP) in order to win regulatory approval.

Review:

Another goof on my part. Not only did the deal not happen, but T-Mobile merged with MetroPCS (PCS) following the death of the AT&T deal. The new company, which is taking T-Mobile's name, should give consumers another reliable choice in the mobile phone area.

Grade: D (I erred badly on the initial merger, but T-Mobile did merge with another company, so I give myself partial credit here).

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