AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless CEOs Comment on AT&T, T-Mobile Deal
By Paula Bernier, Executive Editor, TMC
The top executives from AT&T (News
- Alert) Mobility, Sprint and Verizon Wireless this morning at the CTIA show in Orlando, Fla., offered input on AT&T’s planned $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile.
Not surprisingly, AT&T Mobility’s Ralph de la Vega discussed the benefits of his company’s move to buy T-Mobile (News
- Alert). He said that includes the ability for AT&T to more effectively address bandwidth demand.
“It’s in the public interest that we solve that pending spectrum exhaust issue,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sprint (News
- Alert) Nextel CEO Dan Hesse, who is chairman of CTIA, expressed his reservations about the AT&T-T-Mobile combination.
“I do have concerns that it would stifle innovation and too much power would be in the hands of just two” players, Hesse said.
He noted that if regulators allow AT&T to buy T-Mobile, the new company would control 79 percent of the market.
When asked by moderator Jim Cramer of CNBC show Mad Money whether he agrees with media reports that the AT&T-T-Mobile combination offers consumers little to cheer about, Hesse responded: “I have to agree with the Times.”
AT&T’s de la Vega responded that despite such commentary, the T-Mobile deal will enable AT&T to continue and grow the broadband revolution and to create a denser grid. He added that AT&T has committed to bring LTE to 95 percent of the U.S.
Verizon Wireless (News - Alert) President and CEO Dan Mead, meanwhile, noted that his company feels very good about its spectrum position and is not concerned about the AT&T-T-Mobile deal.
“We’re very confident in our position,” Mead said.
“I think we’re in a very innovative environment,” he added, “I think we’re going to continue to be that way.”
T-Mobile USA CEO and President Philipp Humm, who was originally listed as a participant on this CEO roundtable, did not appear this morning.
And FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski (News - Alert), whose keynote speech was just before the panel, noted that he was unable to comment on the deal – which he didn’t mention by name – at this time.
Edited by Tammy Wolf









