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LAS VEGAS–T-Mobile USA received three gifts for Christmas: billion in cash, AWS spectrum and some interesting roaming deals. That was the message from Philipp Humm, T-Mobile USA’s president and CEO, during a press event at the Consumer Electronics Show here. Humm noted that the breakup of the company’s anticipated billion acquisition by AT&T (NYSE:T) led to several concessions including T-Mobile receiving a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets.

Humm, who admitted the company had been fairly quiet during the past nine months after AT&T announced its planned (and later failed) acquisition of the company, said that nevertheless T-Mobile has been working hard to keep its focus on its business in the interim. He noted that the company had invested in 250 more T-Mobile-branded retail stores, built partnerships with companies such as SAP and also invested in its 4G network.

On its network specifically, T-Mobile announced it doubled the speed of its 4G network in 12 additional markets, offering HSPA+ 42 to 12 additional markets. The move brings its HSPA+ 42 network to 184 million POPs in 175 markets. In addition, T-Mobile expanded the reach of its nationwide HSPA+ 21 network to nine additional markets, now covering 217 markets across the country and reaching more than 200 million people.

Humm admitted that the company has been impacted by churn and that the brand has been impacted. However, he pledged to reinvigorate the brand and also strengthen T-Mobile’s business-to-business space. Interestingly, Humm also said that the company is open to MVNO businesses and will be focusing on keeping its 4G services thriving. “T-Mobile is back,” Humm proclaimed.

For more:
- see this release

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FierceWireless

T-Mobile USA Regional Vice President Tom Ellefson led an unrelenting, and ultimately, personal attack on technicians on Long Island, N.Y., who wanted a union and bargaining rights.
CWA Union News

AT&T (NYSE:T) said it now expects its proposed billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA to close by the end of the first half of next year, a few months later than it originally planned, according to a regulatory filing. 

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, AT&T said the deal will close in the first half of 2012, pending regulatory approval. Previously, AT&T had anticipated the deal closing in March 2012. The Department of Justice sued in August to block the deal on antitrust grounds, and a trial is set to begin Feb. 13. AT&T first announced the deal in late March 2011.

If the merger transaction does fall apart, AT&T will be required to pay T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom a billion breakup fee, which includes billion in cash and billion in spectrum and roaming agreements.

The legal troubles for AT&T grew after U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle ruled on Wednesday that Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and C Spire Wireless could continue parts of their lawsuit to block the AT&T/T-Mobile deal. While Huvelle threw out many of the claims Sprint and C Spire, formerly Cellular South, made in their filings, she ruled that the two could continue to pursue claims that the deal will harm the mobile device marketplace. 

Interestingly, AT&T also said in the SEC filing that it now expects its proposed .93 billion purchase of Qualcomm’s (NASDAQ:QCOM) 700 MHz Media FLO spectrum, which was announced in December 2010, to close by the end of the first quarter of next year, later than its previous expectation for the deal to close by year-end. The FCC needs to approve the license transfer.

In August the FCC said it would consider the AT&T/Qualcomm transaction side-by-side with the AT&T/T-Mobile deal. While the FCC did not formally combine the reviews of the two acquisitions, the move was a setback for AT&T and Qualcomm, which argued that the two deals should be evaluated independent of one another.

For more:
- see this SEC filing
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Judge allows Sprint, C Spire to continue AT&T/T-Mobile legal battle
AT&T prepares for October legal battles over T-Mobile deal
Google wants confidential Android info protected in AT&T/T-Mobile litigation
AT&T’s Stephenson: We will argue for efficiencies from T-Mobile deal
Sprint’s Hesse: DOJ lawsuit against AT&T/T-Mobile won’t prevent consolidation
Cellular South jumps into fray, sues to block AT&T/T-Mobile

FierceWireless

Last night on TV, we noticed that new commercial for T-Mobile’s family voice with data plan, called the “Best Plan Ever.”  Surprisingly, the T-Mobile gal’s dress seems to be no longer a shade of pink but a combination of both pink and orange, which may have think that it may be a precursor to be AT&T T-Mobile merger.

In another commercial Virgin Mobile takes on the T-Mobile gal implies Virgin Mobile is better and cheaper.

Let’s compare the T-Mobile plan with the plans mentioned in Virgin Mobile’s latest commercial.

According to the commercial, the T-Mobile Best Plan Ever has unlimited data, talk and text for .99 for each line.  You have to read the fine print because each line includes up to 2GB of full speed data per month, then reduced speeds after that. On top of the .99 per line are taxes which could be close to 20%.

In the Virgin commercial the Virgin Mobile spokesmodel points out that T-Mobile will be taken over by AT&t who is last in customer satisfaction.  The plan, the commercial is advertising shows .00 for unlimited data and messaging which only includes 300 minutes of talk. The Virgin .00 a month plan includes 1200 talk minutes while the a month plan has unlimited talk. Virgin Mobile data use greater than 2.5GB per month will be throttled to 256kbps starting in October. It you start today, you will at least have a month or so of unlimited data without throttling.  Virgin Mobile plans include most taxes, however sales tax and some fees may be added.  Both plans in October will be very close in price.  Data speeds on Sprint’s 3G network are much slower than the T-Mobile 4G data network.

If you compare T-Mobile prepaid with Virgin Mobile prepaid as Virgin does in their own chart, Virgin Mobile is the cheaper plan. However the advertised plans are very close. 

To determine which is better for you, check coverage in your area.  Sprint has better coverage in some areas while T-Mobile has better coverage and other areas.  T-Mobile also has a greater selection of subsidized phones which are cheaper.

The easiest things to compare in the two commercials are the spokesmodels’ dresses the T-Mobile gal wears what looks to be a silk fluffy full frou-frou dress while the Virgin Mobile gals wears a tight-fitting red short red dress which is obviously more stylish.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Sprint’s opposition to the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger has been revealed to be nothing more than a classic bait-and-switch — with the Sprint CEO saying out of one side of his mouth the merger would hurt consumers — while talking out the other about buying T-Mobile for itself.
CWA Union News

Just as AT&T announced this week that it would return 5,000 wireless jobs to the United States following its pending merger with T-Mobile USA, the U.S. Justice Department announced it was seeking to block the deal.
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T-Mobile USA Inc. showed marked improvements in its operations during the second quarter, posting fewer customer losses and stabilizing revenues. … Read More
RCR Wireless News

T-Mobile technicians in Connecticut became the company’s first U.S. workers with union representation, voting this week to join CWA-TU.
CWA Union News

As previously reported, upon the release of the HTC EVO 3D, Sprint would reduce the prices of other smartphones.

Wirefly is offering the HTC EVO 4G for free for new Sprint accounts with free shipping. When the HTC EVO 4G was released last year, reviewers called the Android super phone, “everything a
geek could dream of,” “a beautiful and powerful window to the world,”
and they called the touchscreen “mesmerizing.”

Wirefly is also offering free activation from T-Mobile, claiming you can save up to 5 on a Family Plan.  The deal ends at midnight tonight.

Another great T-Mobile discount is the G2x with Google for .99 with a new T-Mobile account, including free activation and free shipping.  Reviewers and editors loved the T-Mobile G2x, giving it two Editor’s Choice awards.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

More than 500 German workers descended on Deutsche Telekom’s global shareholders’ meeting in Cologne last Thursday to demand that the company respect the right of its American T-Mobile employees to unionize and bargain collectively.
CWA Union News