US: DOJ in talks with state AGs regarding Sprint/T-Mobile deal

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly in talks with state attorneys general to gain their support for the Sprint merger with T-Mobile. The talks include AGs of states that didn’t join the antitrust lawsuit to block the merger last month, The Wall Street Journal said citing sources.

The DOJ is looking for support for the planned settlement that would allow T-Mobile and Sprint to merge by selling assets to Dish Network, according to people familiar with the matter.

The discussions came in response to some of the state AGs who have already filed a federal antitrust suit seeking to block the more than US$26 billion merger, the people said. The discussions are ongoing and it couldn’t be learned whether any of the states will shift their support at the time of writing.

After the states filed their suit in June, the DOJ negotiated an agreement with T-Mobile and Sprint designed to create a new wireless carrier by handing assets to satellite TV provider Dish, which has long planned to enter the wireless market. In addition to customers and airwaves, Dish would get to operate on T-Mobile’s network for seven years, the Journal reported.