After the approval of the Department of Justice, the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint may change the offer of cellular service in the United States.
Joshua Goldman / CNET
The United States Department of Justice has given the green light to the T-Mobile fusin with Sprint valued at US $ 26,500. With this, the mobile phone industry in the United States is beginning to prepare for a new reality. Sprint no longer exist, T-Mobile will get bigger and Dish is ready to become a fourth opponent in the telephone industry.
The agreement has a long reach, as we can see, and all these changes will inevitably have an impact on the telephone service, from how much you pay to the company you choose to provide the service.
Although there will be more legal challenges in the way of the merger, such as a lawsuit filed by more than a dozen state prosecutors to block the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, we have to prepare for the purposes of this agreement. How much will I have to pay for my cell phone bill? Now, which operator provides the best service? Below we answer these questions and more.
T Mobile
T-Mobile has said not to raise prices three years after the official approval of the merger.
Joshua Goldman / CNET
T-Mobile CEO John Legere had promised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that his company was not going to increase the prices of its services three years after the merger was approved. That promise still stands after the approval of the Department of Justice.
If you are a T-Mobile customer, you can expect to continue using the same service plan, including 5G if available in your area.
Sprint
Sprint service stay the same for now.
Lynn La / CNET
For the moment, and until legal obstacles are clarified, Sprint will continue to operate independently, which means that the plans and promotions will continue to function as they did before the decision of the Department of Justice.
It is not known what will happen to Sprint's plans as companies are integrated, if they will be "inherited" or transferred to T-Mobile or if customers will have to choose new plans. Sprint users can start taking advantage of the T-Mobile network thanks to the roaming agreement reached by both companies.
For more details, read: Are you a Sprint customer ?: What happens to your account at the merger with T-Mobile
Boost, Virgin Mobile and Prepaid Sprint
These three Sprint prepaid brands, which have 9.3 million customers, are destined to operate under Dish after the merger ends. For now, however, these brands remain under Sprint and nothing changes in terms of rates and service.
Even after the agreement is approved, the services will remain the same. T-Mobile has agreed to allow Dish users to use their network for seven years while Dish creates its own 5G network.
Google Fi, Ting and other mobile operators
Google Fi continue to operate on T-Mobile and Sprint networks.
Jason Cipriani / CNET
T-Mobile said not to adjust the contracts of any of the agreements between Sprint and other mobile operators known as MVNO. MVNO operators are Google Fi and Ting, who rent space at a national provider to offer their own mobile service when using existing infrastructure.
Both Google Project Fi and Ting use a combination of the T-Mobile and Sprint networks and should continue to operate normally as part of the agreement. So also be with new MVNOs like Altice, which depends on the Sprint network.
It is not clear what will happen in the future, but for now, the agreement should not impact services on these networks.
AT&T and Verizon
The operators hope that a more robust T-Mobile and a new opponent in the arena (Dish) can better challenge with AT&T and Verizon the competition will drive the telecommunications giants to offer better prices to consumers.
For now, however, nothing has changed in the two largest telephone operators in the United States. Both companies have not adjusted any of their strategies or the prices of their plans.
Editor's Note:This article was originally published on July 29, 2019.
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