The T-Mobile and Sprint merger continues to find itself up against the wall as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) decides whether to allow the merger to go through or not. At the moment, the merger seems poised to fail, unless a fourth mobile carrier is created to help keep the market out of a monopoly. Rumors have been circulating for months that DISH Network would be the one to step up. However, recent credible rumors have come forward adding a new name to the game: Google.
That’s right tech-giant Google might be considering a partnership with DISH to create a new major carrier in the United States. Remember, DISH is the one with over $20 billion in Spectrum holdings. Holdings that any new carrier would need to compete, and that DISH has to use by 2020 or forfeit for a massive loss.
“There’s no question they are talking,” a source told the New York Post of Mulally and the Dish execs.
Conversely, a Google spokesman staunchly denied that any talks are happening at all. “These claims are simply false. Google is not having any conversations with Dish about creating a wireless network,” a Google spokesman told the New York Post.
T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom seems apprehensive about allowing a fourth carrier to come into existence. At the moment, Telekom has insisted that they will only sell their assets to DISH if DISH promises not to sell more than 5 percent of those assets to a third party. That would obviously not be the case if Google was to get involved.
Of course, this is all speculation and a lot of things have to happen if any of this were to ever have a chance of coming to pass. After all, even if the DOJ approves of the merger, T-Mobile still has to win against 14 states who have sued to have the merger blocked in the courts.
Sources:
https://nypost.com/2019/07/07/google-joins-dish-network-in-talks-to-create-4th-mobile-carrier/
